Tags » ‘Freemium’Review: Real Racing 3 (iOS)February 28th, 2013 by Fade to Slack
A lot of people are going to be comparing Real Racing 3 to its predecessor, Real Racing 2. Not having played any racing simulation seriously since Forza Motorsport 2, I can assure you that I am not that guy. What I do know, however, is that Real Racing 2 was a paid app. Real Racing 3 is a free-to-play game, and that comes with the free-to-play annoyances. There are a lot of questions lingering around this transition. Is Real Racing 3 the real deal, or is it a raw deal?
Review: Little Amazon (iOS)January 13th, 2013 by Fade to Slack
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Little Amazon, developed by Ctools Studio and published by BulkyPix, does a lot of things right. The catchy little song, for instance, instantly drills its way into your brain. While many endless runners have committed to pixel art, it’s hard not to notice just how nicely animated Little Amazon is. The running animation and slight blur of Lily’s hair when she jumps just looks great. Even Lily’s helper, a little spirit named Splash that absorbs one hit, owes more to Sonic the Hedgehog’s bubbles than your regular runner.
Review: Kingdom Royale (iOS)October 10th, 2012 by Fade to Slack
Do you like waiting? Then, boy, have I got the game for you. Kingdom Royale is the newest game from Gamevil. If your idea of interesting is waiting around to play rock-scissors-paper, then prepare to be amazed. If this sounds dull to you, then you probably already noted the sarcastic tone of this review. Review: Happy Street (iOS)August 8th, 2012 by Fade to Slack
After years of being burnt by free-to-play games, from Nexon’s Maple Story and Zynga’s Farmville to a handful of iOS apps in-between, I just couldn’t take it, anymore. Fatigued by the constant restraints of pay-walls, I had all but abandoned free games until I came across Tiny Tower by NimbleBit. However, the curious kid who grew up with a Game Genie abused the TowerBux hack. What I thought would make the game more fun actually ruined a great game for me. I tried other freemium games, like Gamevil’s Punch Hero, and kept hitting that grind-or-pay wall that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I thought I’d never find another free-to-play that I would enjoy. And then along came Happy Street.
Happy Street: Tips & Tricks for the Flooz FreeAugust 5th, 2012 by Fade to Slack
Godzilab’s latest game, Happy Street, is a solid little free-to-play that feels like a Tiny Tower wrapped in an Animal Crossing aesthetic. It’s a lot of fun, but like all free-to-play, requires either a lot of your time or a lot of your money to get ahead. Here are some things to note for players who are just getting started. You, too, can have fun and be Flooz-Free like me. If you like the game, and you surely will, then use the Flooz as a tip jar. You can get some keen exclusive things while you’re there, like unique “Cowboy” villagers.
Star Wars MMO Forced to go Free-to-Play. See what I did?August 1st, 2012 by Fade to Slack
Well, that was quick. After less than a year, Electronic Arts has opened Star Wars: The Old Republic’s doors to the free-to-play masses. Thought to be a possible World of Warcraft killer prior to its release, the game never surpassed 2 million active subscribers. Like most MMOs, BioWare’s critically-acclaimed, story-driven MMORPG subscription numbers dwindled as fickle gamers saw a squirrel or something. Now, like The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online before it, Star Wars: The Old Republic will introduce a subscription-free model this fall. Subscription-free players will be able to play until level 50 with a few restrictions. Additionally, BioWare will introduce a secondary currency, in this case “Cartel Coins,” that can be used to jedi mind trick these restrictions away as well as customize gear and access “convenience features.”
Review: Cloudstone (Facebook)July 31st, 2012 by Fade to Slack
What happens when you mix a hack-and-slash clickfest with your standard, energy-restricted, free-to-play Facebook social game? Cloudstone, the first game from California-based indie developer, Playsaurus, aims to find out. For a Facebook game, Cloudstone has a surprising amount going for it. The first thing that stuck out to me was the outstanding soundtrack. Most of the music found in the Facebook games I’ve played range between subpar and grating. I imagine, for instance, the soundtrack to Hell is the same theme you hear playing in Farmville.
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