Gameloft have been churning out mobile games for a while now and for the most part they’ve been pushing the mobile gaming envelope especially when it comes to the graphics and N.O.V.A. 3 is no different. Does the gameplay match the beautiful and rich environments though?
N.O.V.A. 3 as the name suggests is the third in the the first person shooter series which follows the explosive exploits of Kal Wardin as he fights for no lesser prize than humankind itself. If you haven’t played either of the previous N.O.V.A. that’s not a problem, (although you may go back to them after playing this), as the game stands on its own and the short intro will soon get you up to speed.
As previously mentioned the whole look of N.O.V.A. 3 is completely immersive as the rich, massive, interactive environments are a pleasure to behold. Starting in and around the derelict buildings of San Francisco, through alien spacecraft and an explosive fire and ice wasteland the worlds look incredible.
As we’ve all come to learn though, games require more than just graphics to be a success and N.O.V.A. 3 is more than just eye-candy, in fact it’s one of the closest experiences to having a console in your pocket that I’ve ever played on a mobile device.
The audio helps this with the overall experience too, from powerful gun-shots and explosions to great voice acting and background music the aural experiences is excellent, especially if you listen with headphones.
The action comes fast and furious, right from the start and you will need fast fingers to keep yourself alive. These fast fingers have to be balanced with the amount of ammunition you have as supplies are limited especially if you don’t want to if you don’t want to increase the cost of the game by stumping up more of your hard earned money to upgrade your weapons and abilities.
The downside of the scarce ammunition though is exacerbated by some less than perfect controls. There’s nothing substantially different in N.O.V.A. 3 from other first person shooters but they feel unpolished and the limited customization ensures that we will have to spend quite a while with them before you feel at ease.
Spending time with N.O.V.A. 3 though is something you will want to do though as the rewards are worth it. A compelling, if short, campaign mode is great to play but the addition of not only a local wi-fi multiplayer but also an online version, via Gameloft LIVE, is going to have you hooked for months.
Six different multiplayer game modes as well as weekly tournaments keeps things interesting and as long as you put in the time to learn your skills so that you aren’t re-spawning every 30 seconds the online modes ultimately make N.O.V.A. 3 {$6.99} a very rewarding experience.
All this comes at a price, not the $7 that it’ll cost you in the App Store, that’s a bargain, but the 1.5 GB of storage space that it will take up on your iOS device. You may need to manage some space before installing this monster!
There are games that push the limit of mobile gaming and make other companies step up, N.O.V.A. 3 is one of those games and you don’t want to miss the bandwagon.
What we like:
What to know:
EA Mobile has finally released “Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for iPad” and it’s available for $9.99 on Apple’s App Store. The game was first made available on the iPhone and now we have one of the best first person shooters available in HD for the iPad.
The kind of variety the game offers is the most enjoyable part of the game. You are not limited to just firing at your enemies, there are various missions you must accomplish in each chapter and the entire game unfolds like a real story.
While playing the first two chapters on the iPad we could certainly notice rich 3D graphics and actually it’s the iPad’s screen size that does the trick and makes the game much more immersive than its iPhone counterpart.
We will be publishing a detailed review in the coming days. If you enjoyed the iPhone version and want to replay the entire game in HD then go get this game now. For those, who haven’t played this game earlier but enjoy FPS (first person shooter) then Battlefield Bad Company 2 for iPad would certainly prove to be a great start.
Today’s release also brings an update to iPhone version with a revamped multiplayer mode which makes getting into matches easier and quicker. And now you can enjoy by playing with up to 10 players.
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There are certain words that I never thought I would find myself writing, especially in a review of an iPhone/iPod Touch game but there is a first time for everything and with that in mind let me introduce you to the word Pupaphobia. So what is Pupaphobia I hear you ask, well it’s quite simply the fear of puppets and if you have Pupaphobia then this game could be the cure. Puppet War:FPS throws you into a world where you are under attack from mutant puppets and it’s a fight to the death!
There are a few decent FPS games for the iPhone/iPod Touch now but none that I have seen compare to this. You play the part of an old janitor who finds himself stuck in a colourful children’s TV show under attack from the puppets.
It’s certainly an original storyline and it’s been well implemented too. The graphics look like a cross between Sesame Street and the Banana Splits and the various puppets that launch themselves at you have a menacing glint in their eye that could really make you believe that they are out to get you.
Controls on FPS games have always be pretty tricky to implement on a touch screen device as there never seems to be enough buttons to enable all the movement that you need. However that is not the case with Puppet War: FPS which utilizes a virtual joystick for movement, an action button to shoot your weapon of choice and aiming controls via dragging your finger across the touch screen. This may seem like a lot to remember especially when you consider that you are under attack by multiple puppets all at the same time but in actual fact the controls are very intuitive.
There are a good choice of weapons to choose from too, presuming that is you are skilled enough to unlock them all. From the simplicity of a broom or baseball bat to the explosiveness of grenades and chainsaws there are weapons for everyone here and using them on puppets adds an extra degree of satisfaction to the killing spree.
The one major downside to the game is the fact that there is currently only one map and that is the TV Studio itself which despite it looking great can get a little boring after a while. Hopefully a future update will include more maps and add to the fun. A multi-player option would be nice as would some leader boards and who knows maybe that will all be made available in a later update.
As you kill the evil puppet army you will be able to pick up stars which you can then spend on the bigger and better weapons as they become unlocked. You will also find health and ammo packs located around the childrens TV studio and these will certainly come in handy as you progress through the later levels where the action becomes more and more frantic.
There are a range of puppets that will come after you and each have a variety of attacks and movements. The most frustrating of them is the little leaping puppet that is difficult to kill. I did notice some slow-down on some levels where there were a lot of puppets on screen even a re-start of my 2G iPod touch didn’t fix it.
If you are quick you should be able to pick up Puppet Wars:FPS for just $1.99 and at that price, even with only a single map, it’s great fun to play and puts all those ‘realistic’ first person shooters in the shade.
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: Jun 10, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 34.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: OREN BEN TOV
© 2010 Twindigo
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1.3 or later.