Mot Wakorb
11-20-2011, 04:49 PM
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4016765803_8e92d3f13d_o.png
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6238/6370678905_21bfd1f83e.jpg
Title: Super Crossfire HD
Developer: Radiangames
Publisher: Chillingo
Platform: iPhone/iPad (Universal)
Price: $2.99
Reviewed Version: iPhone (iPhone 4S)
One of the more influential games in gaming history is Taito’s Space Invaders. Over the years, many clones and modifications on this formula were created; with Taito going all the way back to their original game in Space Invaders Extreme. The clone game continues though, now moving to the mobile platform with Super Crossfire HD for the iPhone and iPad.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6118/6370657063_51b9c82c5f.jpg
The premise of this game is simple: shoot all your enemies. How you do that is what makes Super Crossfire HD different. There is no fire button in this game, your ship constantly fires, taking away some of what you need to do to play the game. That said, it doesn’t make the game any easier as enemies can have shields that you can only take down from a single direction. To combat that, you can warp to the opposite side of the playing field to fire at the other side of those enemies. This is really what begins to set Super Crossfire HD apart.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6370654723_96fcbf32a7.jpg
Other things that set the game apart include a leveling system of sorts, where you can power up your ship with various different skills, including a wider shot, stronger shot, ship armor, ship speed, number of shots, and various other options. The enemies get stronger wave after wave, so occasionally you’re able to earn more points to keep augmenting your ship. It’s a necessary feature as to get through 150 waves of enemies, you’re going to need every bit of help you can get.
The controls for the game are simple – a slider to move your ship left and right, and a “super power” button that allows you to fire a stronger shot that can destroy enemy shields and blow through multiple enemies. The initial control scheme is called “slider”, where you can just tap your finger on a location on the slide-bar and your ship will go to that spot. Otherwise, you can just slide your finger along to control where your ship moves. Tapping with two fingers will cause a warp to happen, flipping your ship from one side of the board to the other.
I found this control scheme to be tedious as you would mistakenly slide in a direction you don’t intend. Fortunately, they offer multiple control schemes including a more arcade-style control scheme with directional controls, the super power button and a warp button. I found this scheme to be a much more functional way to play the game.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6370656929_fe8793a6f9.jpg
Eventually, the difficulty of the game ramps up with every passing level and isn’t afraid to feel quite like some Japanese top-down shooters. Fortunately, the warp feature has one important function: you can’t be shot during warp and can warp through enemy shots. This also adds to strategy – you can be overwhelmed but switch ends of the screen, protecting yourself from certain doom.
Graphically, the game is pretty – lots of neon coloring and straight lines with particle effects everywhere. Explosions and laser effects are abound and the game is really designed with “over the top graphics” in mind. It’s quite enjoyable to watch while playing and adds to the experience.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6033/6370656881_7a8a5a6f73.jpg
On the converse – the music and sound effects are quite forgettable. Some game soundtracks like Space Invaders Extreme really are a major part of the game, in this, it seems like sound was an afterthought. With a game like this, that is quite disappointing as the sound really should fit in with the graphics and gameplay and I really feel it didn’t succeed here.
Super Crossfire HD does feature a leaderboard feature with the Crystal network and syncs achievements with Game Center on the iPhone and iPad. It does not have a multiplayer component and is intended to be played by a single person. It also supposedly has a story, but the one paragraph that is played before you start playing isn’t what I’d call a story by any means.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6119/6370654573_fb8836a0aa.jpg
All in all, the game is pretty enjoyable and it has been a game I haven’t been able to quit playing. It begins easy and ends rather tough. Graphically it’s gorgeous but falls short in the sound department. For three bucks, you really can’t go wrong with Super Crossfire HD.
Score: (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Curt says: A pretty good game with a high replay value and quite a bit of challenge, it really could use a better soundtrack to fit the look of the game.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6238/6370678905_21bfd1f83e.jpg
Title: Super Crossfire HD
Developer: Radiangames
Publisher: Chillingo
Platform: iPhone/iPad (Universal)
Price: $2.99
Reviewed Version: iPhone (iPhone 4S)
One of the more influential games in gaming history is Taito’s Space Invaders. Over the years, many clones and modifications on this formula were created; with Taito going all the way back to their original game in Space Invaders Extreme. The clone game continues though, now moving to the mobile platform with Super Crossfire HD for the iPhone and iPad.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6118/6370657063_51b9c82c5f.jpg
The premise of this game is simple: shoot all your enemies. How you do that is what makes Super Crossfire HD different. There is no fire button in this game, your ship constantly fires, taking away some of what you need to do to play the game. That said, it doesn’t make the game any easier as enemies can have shields that you can only take down from a single direction. To combat that, you can warp to the opposite side of the playing field to fire at the other side of those enemies. This is really what begins to set Super Crossfire HD apart.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6370654723_96fcbf32a7.jpg
Other things that set the game apart include a leveling system of sorts, where you can power up your ship with various different skills, including a wider shot, stronger shot, ship armor, ship speed, number of shots, and various other options. The enemies get stronger wave after wave, so occasionally you’re able to earn more points to keep augmenting your ship. It’s a necessary feature as to get through 150 waves of enemies, you’re going to need every bit of help you can get.
The controls for the game are simple – a slider to move your ship left and right, and a “super power” button that allows you to fire a stronger shot that can destroy enemy shields and blow through multiple enemies. The initial control scheme is called “slider”, where you can just tap your finger on a location on the slide-bar and your ship will go to that spot. Otherwise, you can just slide your finger along to control where your ship moves. Tapping with two fingers will cause a warp to happen, flipping your ship from one side of the board to the other.
I found this control scheme to be tedious as you would mistakenly slide in a direction you don’t intend. Fortunately, they offer multiple control schemes including a more arcade-style control scheme with directional controls, the super power button and a warp button. I found this scheme to be a much more functional way to play the game.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6370656929_fe8793a6f9.jpg
Eventually, the difficulty of the game ramps up with every passing level and isn’t afraid to feel quite like some Japanese top-down shooters. Fortunately, the warp feature has one important function: you can’t be shot during warp and can warp through enemy shots. This also adds to strategy – you can be overwhelmed but switch ends of the screen, protecting yourself from certain doom.
Graphically, the game is pretty – lots of neon coloring and straight lines with particle effects everywhere. Explosions and laser effects are abound and the game is really designed with “over the top graphics” in mind. It’s quite enjoyable to watch while playing and adds to the experience.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6033/6370656881_7a8a5a6f73.jpg
On the converse – the music and sound effects are quite forgettable. Some game soundtracks like Space Invaders Extreme really are a major part of the game, in this, it seems like sound was an afterthought. With a game like this, that is quite disappointing as the sound really should fit in with the graphics and gameplay and I really feel it didn’t succeed here.
Super Crossfire HD does feature a leaderboard feature with the Crystal network and syncs achievements with Game Center on the iPhone and iPad. It does not have a multiplayer component and is intended to be played by a single person. It also supposedly has a story, but the one paragraph that is played before you start playing isn’t what I’d call a story by any means.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6119/6370654573_fb8836a0aa.jpg
All in all, the game is pretty enjoyable and it has been a game I haven’t been able to quit playing. It begins easy and ends rather tough. Graphically it’s gorgeous but falls short in the sound department. For three bucks, you really can’t go wrong with Super Crossfire HD.
Score: (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Curt says: A pretty good game with a high replay value and quite a bit of challenge, it really could use a better soundtrack to fit the look of the game.