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Symphony of the Eternity officially Xperia PLAY Optimized! Menus and all!

So if you don't know already, KEMCO has been non-stop dropping awesome RPGs on Android. If I recall correctly, these are the same people behind a lot of awesome classics like Shadowgate, Deja Vu, the Sword of Hope series and Dragon View.
Their first Android hit, however, was Symphony of the Eternity, which is currently at a near-perfect rating of 9/10.
Just by having some general keyboard compatibility, you could already control movement and NPC interaction with the Xperia gamepad, but it was imperfect because you'd still have to use the touch screen for almost everything menu related... but as of this latest release (1.0.8) it's completely Xperia PLAY Optmized! Menu control, quick map, and even the game launcher... everything works with the Xperia PLAY controls now!
It's a fantastic throwback - but has a deep enough class/technique system so that it doesn't feel outdated or RPG-Maker-ish. I beat it already, but I think this just made me happy enough to beat it one more time and master all skills with all characters!
Only $2.99, CHECK IT OUT!
I'm hoping Alphadia's up next. Put some Xperia PLAY controls on that and I'll keep the tradition going of me buying every KEMCO RPG.

Certainly now I will try it again. I bought it for the SGS, didn't beat it because it was too hard to use the touch controls, and I've been hoping to use the Play's ones. The ridiculous dialogs will not disappear though...

Seems like a pretty solid RPG in good old retro style. How I loved Shadowgate when I was little! In fact I played through it again just a month ago.
This one reminds me a fair lot of Lufia 2 for the SNES. The battle system that is. They must have taken inspiration from it. Thanks for your youtube vids! How long did it take for you to finish this game? I'm on my second Chrono Trigger playthrough at the moment and don't want to start another time consuming game before I finish it. Now I'm off to bring Crono back on Death Peak!

Looks like a game made with an old version of RPG Maker... :/
Zenonia 1, 2 and 3 are much better.

This one is a JRPG Old School game and it is fantastic in its plot and gameplay!
I love Zenonia Series, but these two are completely different in genre so you just can't compare them together.
I managed to beat it since the very first xperia play optimize released, at the time when you have to use both touch screen and d-pad on xperia game pad. The control was kinda annoyed but its story and gameplay drove me to the end of the game.
Recommended for any JRPG lovers. This one is full of twists!

Wow, the new update adds voices and makes special attacks more dramatic.
Sounds like a small thing, but the game feels a lot more "defined" now. It actually feels like it's own thing instead of just a FF clone.

Star Armada - Review

Hey guys, I'm somewhat new to Android (got my Play a 4 months and 2 days ago upgraded from a T-mobile Dash 3g [I actually got good at KOF '98 using the ****ed up keyboard on that beautiful phone]) and touchscreen phones but I always assumed RTS games would flourish on the medium. Hell, my old Windows Mobile 6.5 had Machines at War and that was one of the best strategy games I had ever played across any medium. Sadly, the RTS genre seemed all but dead on Android. Rusted Warfare has potential but it has a long way to go, and Starfront Collision was far too neutered in comparison to its source for my liking. Yesterday I bought a game called Star Armada that could, with a bit of love, become the best RTS experience Android has to offer. On to the review!
Star Armada was not received well in the majority of the reviews because Star Armada is not a traditional RTS and many players will not sit and read through the 40 some page tutorial that is absolutely integral to understanding the game. The game tends to think outside of the box and it presents you with a strange set of rules and options. First of all, we have planets; to capture a planet you must have it in your line of sight and build one structure on it. Planets are necessary not only for building structures and mining resources but also because you must maintain control of more planets than your enemy to effectively beat them. This is very important because there is a set amount of resources in the galaxy. The enemy AI is going to attack your planets while you attempt to defend them all while you are trying to take planets from the enemy. You can choose between 5 and 8 planet maps with their locations, resource allotment and bonuses (some planets give a bonus like speed boost or cheaper ship building costs) all procedurally generated to give you a unique experience each time. There is incredible depth to the game, especially when considering there are only 3 offensive unit types. Each unit can be upgraded through researches (shield, weapons, and then you can also upgrade the four weapon types which are not exclusive to the ship), or by receiving veteran status. Each of the 3 ships can carry one more weapon than the last (cheapest ship=1 weapon, mid-powered ship =2 weapons) and the weapon load out can be customized for every ship while building it. You can also individually assign specific behaviors to each ship such as attack and follow vs. attack and hold or more interestingly, kamikaze (when low on health the ship blows up dealing damage to surrounding enemies) or return to nearest planet allowing the ships to be repaired.
Now for the bad. The very very, no good, ****-awful, bad. The game has 2 major bugs. First, when I attempt to load games the game crashes back to the home screen. Second, when you have an ungodly number of ships in a battle at once (end-game scenario for my 5 planet match) the game freezes and must be force closed. I have contacted the developer to see if any fixes are planned for slower devices and will let everyone know when I hear back. The game is on sale for $1.99 and is available on google play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stararmada&hl=en
Final word: I cannot recommend this game in its current form to Play users but if you have a tablet or higher end device this game is an absolute must have. As for the Play, it will be one to watch much like Rusted Warfare.

Nice review, looks like an interesting game.

Hey guys, just wanted to give an update since I just received an e-mail back. The developer has ordered a Play to both test this game and to optimize their new (still unnamed to my knowledge) project for Xperia Play controls.
Also, Rusted Warfare (the other RTS I briefly mention) has received an update that fixes the majority of problems I had with it and that game runs perfectly and is a blast to play on my Play. If there's any interest in it I'll do a little review in its own thread later.

I've been enjoying Robo Planet, thanks for mentioning it in the OP. A very interesting take on RTS that works well on the phone, and like no other game I've played before. Excellent.

aros2k said:
I've been enjoying Robo Planet, thanks for mentioning it in the OP. A very interesting take on RTS that works well on the phone, and like no other game I've played before. Excellent.
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I actually didn't mention it, unless you are being sarcastic. Anyways, how is it? I was under the impression it was a TBS but it has a neat look to it and I would love to hear your feedback.

BrianChase said:
I actually didn't mention it, unless you are being sarcastic. Anyways, how is it? I was under the impression it was a TBS but it has a neat look to it and I would love to hear your feedback.
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Oh, my apologies. I read an RTS review on here that mentioned it, bought it then when I saw this I thought this must have been the review! It's real time not turn based and well worth a purchase, it plays well with a game design that suits mobile well. The graphics are very good. It's definitely recommended if you enjoy rts games.
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app

Thanks for the information! I will definitely look in to it.

Raiden Legacy - XDA Leaderboards

Hey all, I'm pretty competitive when it comes to shmups (so proud of my online leaderboard spot on Trizeal) and was wondering if any users wanted to get together on here and compete to take to the top spots in the leaderboards. I've only spent time on Jet so far but if someone has a score for the others I'd be up for the challenge! So here we go:
RFJ - Griffin - 14011588 - (current leaderboard rank) 4

I didn't know this was out! How does it play? Does it support the keyboard?

We actually had a thread going elsewhere and there was some debate as to how it played. In all fairness I've only played the arcade version of Jet a few times but one of our forum members claimed the game scaled inaccurately to the screen which I didn't notice due to being somewhat new to the series. I think the games play fantastically and I can't even begin to describe the amount of content you get for such a small price. The game does support the game-pad but you flip the phone on its side to emulate TATE mode; after seeing how Legacy did that I now exclusively play shmups that way when playing through emulators and while it feels awkward at first you will get the hang of it and it really becomes the best option for arcade shmups. Still though, you should search for the thread that discusses the game at length. I'd give the game a solid 10/10 but the complaints the other users had aren't without warrant either whether it pertains to personal preference or accuracy of the games' emulation.

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Re: Gun Commando out now on Playstation Mobile!
I will be writing up my thoughts and adding them here later this morning. Trust me.....its good. Both the game and my review of it.
Sent from my R800x using xda premium

OK, here are some of my thoughts on this game. In the 90s I was in my teens. And have many fond memories of fragfests of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem, Star Wars Dark Forces, and many others.
Now playing Gun Commando reminds me of many of these games. Graphically it reminiscent of the early FPS shooters in the mid 90s. But there are some 3D elements to it, if you see the video Legion showcased you will see that mostly in the vehicles it has a psuedo 3D effect which I must say is done very well.
Controls are too sensitive for me off the bat so I lowered it to three and it played very well, smooth and fast.
The story is pretty basic and generic, but lets face it unless your thinking Halo or any modern FPS the story is always just there to give you something. But then again its like an action movie. No one sees an action movie for the story, its the action.
So to narrow it down to Pros/Cons:
Cons (Just to get this out of the way first)
* Controls initally way too sensitive (lowered to 3 for me resolved this)
* Story is pretty basic, but we knew that
* Levels are a little too short ( I played to level 4 so perhaps they get bigger)
Pro's
* Really like the comic book style opening, done very well
* Found the dialog in the comic sequences to be funny at times
* Graphics are lush, vibrant and look great with the light 3D touch up
* Controls, once adjusted, were great
To add to this, I have been thus far greatly disappointed in the PSM. I found the payment system to be highway robbery. Paying $5 at a time is assinine in my opinion. And after about 2-3 weeks since its release, PSM, I removed the app entirely from my phone. But with the release of Gun Commando I reinstalled and bought the game. And I must add that I am glad I did. First game I have bought (Ive purchased 5 games prior to Gun Commando) where I didnt wish I could get a refund.
So if you like classic FPS, and want to add one more to the Xperia PLAY with short quick levels, for that get up and go... Gun Commando could be yours, for a small fee. So enjoy it as I do.
And thank you Legion for making the video, it was very well done and I felt showcased the game nicely.
Side note - In an attempt to locate the Playstation Mobile Reviews that BrianChase was mentioning I came across this YouTube channel, have not watched them yet so dont know how good the makers reviews are.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4mnTdZNVTM9ysAQmZMdLiQAEGbM3Exp

I just realized 12 hours after posting my thoughts... the sound. Yes... the sound in this game.... excellent in my opinion. Pretty standard fare but it plays nicely with the fast game. As stated you owe it to your self to pay the $3 and buy this game.....
On a side not... I played 4 levels just now.... and wow..... me gots a headache.. but in a good way. The comic scenes.. love all the wife jokes....funny.. BUY THIS GAME...

The soundtrack is surprisingly good for a mobile game, and the duke nukem esque quotes are good for a chuckle. This game is a definite buy, you are right about that!

Beaver Karts: More than Driftwood?

The Lowdown
I was looking for something fun to play on phone and I came across this. It was free in the app store so I figured that I’d lose nothing by trying it out. The first thing that I noticed was the cover art which presented itself as cute and colorful. I wondered if this would translate to the game as well since, for me, cute is almost always a good thing. As I downloaded the app, I kept wondering about how silly the entire concept was. I thought to myself, “What is the point of such a weird game?” The game revolves about you being a Beaver with his own custom wooden cart. Apparently, this Beaver has a nasty need for speed and spends his time travelling downhill (and aiming for an X-games promotion) in his cart. To make things interesting, you can perform an assortment of tricks such as wheelies and flips.
Learning the Ropes
The game is pretty basic. You will have to guide the Beaver on his downhill descent as you perform a series of tricks. You have 2 buttons to control the cart: tilt forward or tilt backward. Tilting the cart backward, for instance, will allow you to ride on only 2 wheels (classified as a wheelie) and will grant you bonus points. Doing a tilt after a jump will make the cart flip which is worth massive points (given that you land safely). You will also have to collect gold coins on the downhill path to glory. One thing to remember is that you have a limited amount of fuel to burn during the stage and this is what limits your journey.
Gold collected will determine the types of upgrades you can afford for tricking out your Beaver cart. I’m not sure if these upgrades affect the performance of your vehicle or are purely aesthetic in nature. Take note that before starting a stage, you have 3 specific goals that you can opt to do during your downhill run. Accomplishing them grants you bonus gold and that’s what you want to do in order to earn more and upgrade your cart.
There are power-ups in the shop which you can purchase with gold or purple acorns. I guess that is the premium currency for the game which you can buy with real money. Some of the powerups that can make your run more interesting.
Not a Wallet Hurter
I got the game for free in the app store. Not bad since you get to you can try it out at no cost.
What I think
I like the game due to the simplicity of its graphics which comes out as a cute cartoony experience. It is simple yet entertaining. Unfortunately, it is far from perfect. I find a big lack in terms of customization. There are only a few choices of upgrades to choose from (around 5 per category). Also, you are stuck with the beaver. Not that I don’t like him or anything but, I would very much want to see a giraffe try to cart. Some mini-games would also help break the monotony that comes after a while.
I suggest keeping this at hand during lull times. This might In fact, it might be worth using while waiting for the bus, waiting for your food in restaurants, or during your breaks to the bathroom.

This is actually a good game. Challenging yet fun at the same time.:good:

Tried this one out but the game is too challenging for me. It was hard controlling the beaver's kart. I always crash and burn. Poor beaver.

I thought the game was for kids, it was hard to control at first but eventually I got a hang of it. It was actually fun.

I've downloaded this game a few weeks back and was surprise that you made a review about this game. I totally agree with the points that you have stated in your article. The game is fun but hard at first. Luckily, I was patient enough to keep on playing the game until I got a hang of it.

groan RExesd
My curiosity got the best of me and I've downloaded this game. It is frustrating at first but since I am really competitive I wanted to perfect my every run. Now, I can double backflip and frontflip. I'm aiming to perfect my wheelies and to achieve a triple backflip/frontflip. :highfive: