Smash The Block Crowdfunding Campaign

You may or may not remember a little game called Thomas Was Alone that used crowdfunding to get through the final stages of development; well, that game used the funds to finish a fantastic game now available to all who have a soul. Why am I talking about crowdfunding and a game now released? It's because a new game has landed on the block in need of your help to smash through those final months of development without the developers starving to death and/or losing their minds. The game is Smash The Block and the developer is Spilt Milk Studios.

Spilt Milk Studios should sound familiar as the developer behind one of my favorite iOS games of all time: Hard Lines. As Hard Lines was a twist on classic Snake, Smash The Block is a twist on classic Breakout. The game is looking good and as someone who's seen it progress over the course of many months, I can say it's only gotten better and better as time has passed. But I can only say so much and what I say is nowhere near as important as what's said on the actual crowdfunding campaign's page, so let me provide some links and here's to supporting the little guys and gals who keep this industry interesting. Be aware that all money raised will still go to the developers, even if the goal isn't met.

Spilt Milk Studios [Official Site]

Smash The Block Crowdfunding Campaign [Indiegogo]

Spider-Man is Amazing at Basketball

And I'm amazing at wordplay. Some call me the ultimate. At the very least, I'm spectacular.

Jeremy McGrath's Offroad Review

Jeremy McGrath's Offroad sounds like a title waiting to be finished—like "Offroad Racing" or "Offroad Anything"—but while the title sounds unfinished, the game is anything but unfinished and full of a hefty amount of content for only $10. Offroad is an off-road racer—not too surprising—and features vehicles ranging from buggies to rally cars and tracks in numerous locations—like California, Netherlands, and Ecuador. And when you're ready to race, you can take your vehicle and drive in a career mode, an arcade mode, or against friends and foes over Xbox Live or PSN.

There is a surprising amount of content in Offroad—career mode alone contains twenty-three different races—and every vehicle class controls well with the game's more arcade-y feel, but the problem is the game eventually becomes repetitive, leaving the gamer playing the same handful of courses over and over again with vehicles that look different but don't control particularly different. The game never gets overly difficult or frustrating, but simply becomes somewhat robotic in its "been there, done that" nature.

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Marvel Pinball 3D Review

Earlier this year Zen Studios released Zen Pinball 3D on the 3DS and I loved it, finding it to be one of the rare 3DS games I could play with 3D turned all the way up. After a decent wait, Zen Studios has finally added to their 3D pinball collection with Marvel Pinball 3D, a standalone collection of the four Marvel tables released previously on other platforms—featuring tables based off Captain America, Blade, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four.

The first thing I did when I loaded up Marvel Pinball 3D was push the 3D slider all the way up and, like Zen Pinball 3D, I had no problems playing the game with 3D at full power. And playing the game in 3D is the only way to play because it brings an extra layer of literal and figurative depth. The 3D makes the game feel as if I have a tiny pinball table in my hands and it's always a little jarring at first, but soon I find myself hours in the future wondering what happened to all the time as I enjoyed one of the few games I love playing in 3D.

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The Amazing Spider-Man First Impressions

Before I say anything else, let me say the most important thing: do not play The Amazing Spider-Man if you do not want the film of the same name spoiled. You will get spoiled in the first hour and there's no way of avoiding it, so think about that before you even think of touching the game before the movie's release. With that warning out of the way, I can now say the game itself is, from my first few hours, rather boring with good/bad controls.

By "good/bad" controls I mean some aspects are good and some are bad. I enjoy the simplicity of web swinging because it's automatic as long as the right trigger is being held. It allows me to freely look around and watch as Spidey swings through the air in his well-animated form. I'm sure some people might dislike the over simplification, but I like it and don't care about what the web is sticking to and if it makes sense—it's a game about a guy who has spider powers...sense was lost a long time ago. I also enjoy the two-button combat—one button for action and one for dodging—but it's already becoming repetitive and I only see that increasing with every minute played.

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Marvel Pinball Video Playthrough: "Fear Itself" Table

And now I present a video of me playing the "Fear Itself" table into a low-scoring hole! It's never been so fun to be so bad. Blah, blah, blah. You should most definitely pick up the Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles pack on whichever platform you prefer.

Marvel Pinball Video Playthrough: "Infinity Gauntlet" Table

If you follow the site, you know I love pinball and everything that Zen Studios creates. That said, I've never been that good at pinball, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying myself as I play with my balls. (Yes, I'm an immature child.) Anyway, below is a video of me playing the "Infinity Gauntlet" table—which is part of the recently released Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles pack (review) and my favorite table from said pack. I hope you enjoy the video and please ignore the occasional hiccupping at the bottom of the video, it shan't be in future videos (I hope).

The Greatest iOS Game Trailer Ever?

It may very well be, but I'll let you decide. The game is a little thing called Astronot and the creator is a fella named Wade McGillis. It's scheduled to release tomorrow, June 21st, on iOS, Mac, and PC, and seems to be a metroidvania-esque game. I don't know much, but I do know the trailer has be enthralled. (You'll be singing along in no time...I know I am.)

Review: Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles

Surprise, surprise, Zen Studios has just released some new pinball tables and they're all great. I don't even know if I should waste my time and yours reviewing the newest pack; I mean, if you're already a fan you won't need a review to convince you into buying it, and if you're not a fan I'd recommend a trip to your local psychiatrist. The latest addition to Pinball FX2 (or Marvel Pinball on PSN) is Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, a collection of four new Marvel-themed pinball tables—"The Avengers," "Fear Itself," "Infinity Gauntlet," and "World War Hulk."

Despite already releasing numerous tables, Zen Studios still somehow manages to throw in new elements that switch up the way one plays a table. The "Avengers" table has a team system in play where you get a choice between one of six character-based balls, each with their own powers. It adds an extra layer of strategy and kept me coming back to see how other balls played, as well as learning when to use a specific ball over the others. I did find it a bit overwhelming at first, but I quickly got the hang of it and ended up enjoying the "Avengers" table quite a bit.

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Review: Heroes Call (iOS)

Heroes Call is an action-RPG for iOS similar to games like Diablo, Titan Quest, Torchlight, etc in look and feel—the same 3/4 isometric camera; the abundance of loot; and the "click, click, click" replaced with "tap, tap, tap." It's a free universal app with in-app purchases for "gem" packs—which can be found in-game during quests—used to buy new characters, gold, identification scrolls, or speeding up in-game wait times. The only character available for free is the Blood Knight (use your imagination), and a Plague Wizard can be purchased with gems; two additional classes—Combat Alchemist and Shadow Assassin—are "coming soon."

My biggest concern with IAP-based games is whether I need to buy IAP or if I can get by—much slower of course—without paying a penny. Thankfully, I never once felt the need to buy gems for gold, scrolls—plenty can be found during quests (much more frequent than gems)—or for removing the wait time for new quests. And while I prefer playing as a mage, I didn't have a problem sticking it out with the knight. That said, I won't be spending much more time with game for one very specific reason.

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