Star Armada - Review - Xperia Play Themes and Apps

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.

Related

Asphalt 5

Asphalt5 is a pure arcade racer. It combines the smash 'em elements of Burnout and the hardcore racing thrills of Ridge Racer into a sometimes silly but always manic speeder. If you go into this expecting a precision driving sim along the lines of Real Racing, you will be severely disappointed. But if you download Asphalt 5 with the expectation of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Ferraris, you will be suitably satisfied.
You are hard-hearted if you are not immediately impressed with Asphalt 5's zillion-dollar looks. As always, Gameloft delivers standout production values. The game stretches across several continents, delivering racing scenes in some of the world's most recognizable metros, like Rio de Janiero and Las Vegas, as well as lovely outdoor scenes such as Aspen. Every location is bright and loaded with detail. The car models are excellent, too. From the starting Mini Cooper S to the Ferrari 599 XX, Gameloft has done a stellar job recreating these vehicles. It's amazing that an iPhone game can easily outpace many PlayStation 2 racers in this department.
But Asphalt 5 is more than the prettiest girl at the dance – although the game has plenty of those, too. (Gameloft loves the ladies. You unlock female companions as you race through career mode.) The tilt steering is very well done. I have few complaints about the level of responsiveness, although you can be too severe with your tilting, though. It is easy to over-correct a turn or veer too wildly to avoid oncoming traffic, but a little practice cures this. There are multiple control options, but I recommend the default tilt steering above all of them as you only need to worry about tapping a brake and nitro button. As mentioned, Asphalt 5 is an arcade racer, so do not expect real-world physics. Occasionally, Asphalt 5 feels like a pinball game – but it never sells itself as a serious racer, so this is hardly a fault. In fact, since I usually prefer games like Burnout and Daytona USA over Gran Turismo, I found this endearing in Asphalt 5.
Asphalt 5's career mode offers a host of different events, from straight races and time trials to drift contests. You collect dollars in many events, too, to boost your bottom line and buy new rides. The only event I had trouble with was cop chase where you need to eliminate a set number of rivals, Burnout-style. Now, I'm not expecting a game to roll over and take it, but the computer-controlled cars are way too psychic when it comes to avoiding your incoming swipes. Perhaps if Gameloft dialed back the number of eliminations required or at least made the rival racers a little less clairvoyant, these events wouldn't be so dreaded by the second hour of play. Now, you can choose the events you want to play to get through a lot of career mode, but eventually you are forced into one of these events and it just brings the fun to a screeching halt.
mod: no wares allowed.. warning to you!!
Toshkar ya basha
ay 5edma (no proplem)
Sorry, but you aren't allowed to post warez on this forum.
(I know that you already have, but you know what I mean...)
I think that you should remove the file, before a mod tells you to.
Reported.
Please refrain from posting Warez on XDA.
Support Android development. It's not like the apps are that expensive. We want to keep XDA online, and posting illegal files can cause legal problems for the forum administration.
Warez... hmmmm!!!
I don't want to sound like a complete ass but not all of us can access the services offered on "Play Now".. i got the apk via xda forums
To saltorio this is your spec:
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10a | Android 1.6 | Baseband: 1.1.31 | Build: R2BA026 (ROOT)
You rooted your phone!!!!... you have altered the phones "rom"... and yet there are issues with "warez?" ... just one crazy person whispering in the wilderness
Still we should all support the developers where we can
Surely it would make sense for a Mod to remove the file and replace it with a link to the site?
The review is not too bad.. just a shame the idiot attached the game!
kiki_tt said:
To saltorio this is your spec:
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10a | Android 1.6 | Baseband: 1.1.31 | Build: R2BA026 (ROOT)
You rooted your phone!!!!... you have altered the phones "rom"... and yet there are issues with "warez?" ... just one crazy person whispering in the wilderness
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LOL. You're kidding right? Good luck with that argument.
Go post a thread about this in General and see what other have to say about your comparison. Please.

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:

[GAME][4.0+] Fisherman - Monsters and Stuff - fast paced, pixel crafted arcade game

FISHERMAN - MONSTERS & STUFF
Hi! My name is Al Fish. I’m the hero of the Fisherman.
When my parents ran the Fisherman v. 1.0 for the first time, everybody had a feeling of crossing the border between madness and reality. Just 5 years later they were buried alive on a desert in New Mexico. Probably this is the way the Fishboy was created.
Me, legendary Canadian Australian with the face of a child and the mind of a veteran fisherman.
After a decade of soaking in salty water I met Ron Kowalski and Polish Kielbasa, and got to know an ink printer, a computer with a pitiable capacity and the dial-up 56 Kbps Internet connection. That was purely awesome. Getting connected to the Net almost blew my mind. For the next 6 months I was like paralyzed because of the things I’d discovered.What have you done?
The Adobe tutorials are amazing, the molecular effects and culinary blogs are twice as amazing, but the most amazing is the fact that every web page keeps loading itself for hours.
That was an absolute revolution of my retro Australian arcade reality. That was probably the beginning of a new project - “The Fisherman, Monsters and Stuff”. My world has been being transformed for nearly 15 unforgettable years to finally appear in Google Play and App Store. While this was happening, our budget was deprived of 2 trillions of Fish dollars ( the equivalent of a small packet of French fries, a cheeseburger and medium Coke).
But we have done it.
Every single pixel feels the high shiny wave we are surfing on. Now we are online. Find out how every beautiful morning the 8bit generation absorbs the web. In the fumes of paranoia the next versions of the Fisherman is evolving into something we can’t even imagine
.
You can become a part of it.
Visit Google Play and give us feedback today! (or tommorow, or some day in the future).
looks pretty cool gonna try it now
My eyes :cyclops:
But cool looking! Installing right now and I'll leave feedback in the Play Store.
cool.. i will try it..
Nice !
Wow, that looks great! I'm going to download it and play now. If there is a feature to donate, or buy, I'll spend a few bucks to support further weirdness like this
Fun Game... Who doesn't like fishing with a hammer ??
Al_Fish said:
FISHERMAN - MONSTERS & STUFF​
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fix your title brother its "arcade game" instead of "arcade gane" silly mistake ​
Thanks, it's fixed.
We are working right now on a new game levels so the gameplay would be more interesting
Any feedback, everyone?
game review
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This games makes addicted and angry at the same time. A great combo :laugh:
As soon as the bomb blows up my fingers get in rage to hammer on the play button asap
I'm really surprised this game isn't getting more attention.

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