Eric Pankoke

Author Details

Author Details

Eric Pankoke

<p>Eric Pankoke has been a gamer for more than 20 years. He began with arcade games, moving to consoles and eventually handhelds and Pocket PCs. Now he spends most of his time on one of his iOS devices. Eric has written more than 700 gaming reviews, which have appeared on a number of gaming websites as well as several issues of both Smartphone & Pocket PC and iPhone Life magazines. He regularly contributes to <a href="http://www.iphonelife.com/blog">iphonelife.com</a> and TouchMyApps. Ultimately he hopes to eventually develop games himself for whatever the hot mobile device is when he finally gets moving.</p>

Most of the time, I review a game because either I ask a developer if they want a review or because someone asks me to write a review.  Occasionally, however, I just feel compelled to write a review on my own, usually because I simply can’t stop playing the game that I’m reviewing.  Beach Hero (Free with IAP) is just such as case.  I honestly probably wouldn’t have even given the game a second thought had I not coming across it while compiling a list for a different article; but ever since I first launched the game, I find myself spending more time with it than just about anything else on my device. As a result I decided it was time to share it with iPhone Life's readers.

One thing I love about virtual shelves like the App Store is that you can often find items years after they have been released. When they’re good, that’s always a bonus. I wrote this review more than a year and a half ago, but I hate wasting things, so I figured I’d go ahead and publish it despite the age. The Lord of the Roads ($0.99) is still available on the App Store; and when I fired it up again, just to be sure that I wasn’t overinflating things, it turned out the game is still just as fun as it was back then. Plus it runs quite well on my iPod Touch 4. If you don’t get the significance of that, you’ve obviously never had the “privilege” of owning an iPod Touch 4.

I used to start out just about every review of an online game making some sort of comment about how I don’t really like online games. I'm beginning to think that’s not really the case. What I don’t like are games where if you’re not in the “elite” you’re pretty much dead when you step out on the battlefield. I also don’t care for games where people pretty much expect you to chat or make the game as much about taunting as actually playing. Thankfully The Rats Online (free with IAP) handles all of these things in just the right manner. Its simple nature makes it easy to get into, and the nicely organized list of folks you need to exact revenge on makes it worth coming back in periodically to see how things are going.

I’ve been a fan of Star Wars since before a vast majority of hardcore iOS players were born. And as much as I hate to admit it, I was sucked into the Angry Birds phenomenon just like so many other players. When the first Angry Birds Star Wars game was released, however, I was curious but also dumbfounded. Was Rovio that needy to expand the franchise—and for that matter, was LucasArts so desperate for some name recognition in the mobile world? I basically ignored the first installment; but when I saw they had released Angry Birds Star Wars II ($0.99), I decided it was time to see what the appeal was. In some ways I actually admire how they’ve melded together the two franchises. Overall though, I’m not finding the experience quite as entertaining as the original game that started it all. At least they were kind enough to include a playable Yoda character in the mix.

When it came to PC gaming I think adventure games were what I grew up on, and I’m happy to see more developers bringing this great genre of game play to the iOS platform.  In late November of 2012 we were treated to a cool time travelling piece called Tesla’s Electric Mist, and since I’m now getting back into it to try and finish it up I thought I’d share my experiences with the game.  There’s no question that the developer has a deep fondness for this style of game play, and there are plenty of puzzles to solve and mini-games to conquer.  I think it would have been nice to have a little golf cart with all the walking I had to do, though.

Infinite runners are to action games like Match 3 games are to the puzzle genre: there are a lot of options on the App Store, and so many of them start to feel the same after a while.  Thankfully I like the infinite runner style of game play enough that I’m pretty much willing to try any one I can get my hands on, and occasionally I’m still surprised to find one that doesn’t feel just like the rest.  Now I’m not suggesting that Ronin does anything revolutionary for the genre, or quite frankly even really evolutionary, but there’s something about it that keeps drawing me back.

I never considered frogs to be a very popular subject for video games, but there really are quite a few games staring the lily pad bound amphibians and their desire to eat bugs.  Thankfully Mister Frog is a different beast altogether.  Yeah you’re still trying to collect bugs with the protagonist’s tongue, but there isn’t a lily pad anywhere to be seen in this game.  Plus, the actual game play mechanic is different than any I’ve come across in this sort of game to date.  This is another fine example of simple, fun and addictive blending seamlessly together to create a game that probably won’t get the recognition it deserves.

It used to be that I’d start every review about a brick breaker style game saying something about how I don’t really like the genre but… I think I need to stop doing that now.  Either I’ve become more selective in the ones that I try or they really do keep getting better, because I’m actually finding myself enjoying the concept more each time I write a review.  This time around the subject is Draw Breaker, the latest game from Elevate Entertainment, and this game is a blast!  It’s cute, creative and different than any brick breaker I’ve played in the past.

I’ve played quite a number of time management games over the course of my reviews, and generally I find that the more hectic they are the more fun they tend to be.  Of course the chaos needs to be organized, but the key is that there has to be a lot to do.  Occasionally, though, I just want to have a nice, relaxing time, and Streetfood Tycoon fills that bill quite nicely.  At times it almost feels more like an arcade game than a time management sim, but lest you forget you can always check all the stats to bring you back to reality.  The important thing is that the game is fun, and I have become rather addicted to the game play and atmosphere.

It’s getting harder and harder to come up with original ideas for Match 3 games, but the Treasures Of Montezuma has a nice little twist with the concept of idols that are activated when you match that idol’s color on the playing board twice in a row.  I remember getting really addicted to the first installment once I figured out how the idols actually worked.  For some reason I missed out on part 2, but now I’ve got Treasures Of Montezuma 3 on my iPad, the addiction is back, and this could quite possibly be the best installment in the series yet.

Some have reasonably argued that full fledged RPGs are a bit too overwhelming for the portable market where the majority of users only spend minutes at a time playing games.  Several developers have attempted to provide the RPG fix without the RPG commitment, and Pocket Warriors is one of those games.  It actually fits the mold somewhat well, except for the fact that it’s so watered down the game play becomes redundant and boring rather quickly.  At least it looks pretty and sounds halfway decent, though.

In my humble opinion the term “adventure game” has become too broad these days.  I see some sites even try to classify an FPS as an adventure game.  To me it is games like the King’s Quest series from Sierra or Zork from Infocom that defines the adventure game genre.  Games that require you to really explore your surroundings, solve many puzzles, and quite often interact with dozens of non-player characters in more than just a “pardon me while I shoot you” capacity.  Cryptic Keep certainly strives for the feel of the classics, though the distinct lack of NPCs and very little story save snippets at the beginning and the end make it feel more like Myst than a true adventure game.  Still, I appreciate that developers are trying to reinvigorate the genre, and it was fun while it lasted.

On November 26th you’ll be treated to a new distance running game in the form of Dino Rush, and I have to say that the game does a decent job of setting itself apart from similar games.  You play a little dinosaur that has a series of missions to complete, but it just so happens that you’re always hungry.  To keep your strength up you must consume all the fruit you can find, as well as avoid all the other nasty dinosaurs and things like quicksand and lava.  You’ll receive various power ups like a spiked helmet, fruit magnet and super-dinosaur suit that will help you in your quest (and are often imperative to your survival).

Given all the advances in technology, you wouldn't think that something which mimics a 20+ year old system of printed words and plastic dice would be all that entertaining.  Then again, at it's heart that's what role playing games are all about.  An Assassin In Orlandes goes even a step further, bringing you an authentic electronic replica of the old Choose Your Own Adventure / Fighting Fantasy style game books.  And, unlike most modern computer role playing games, you actually get to roll the dice.  Thankfully, though, you don't need paper and pencil to keep track of your stats.  A smooth interface and excellent writing make this game a joy to read and play, and the fact that you can choose multiple paths in many spots gives it that extra replay value that many people desire.  I think you'll find that the trip to Orlandes is certainly worth it.

Angry Birds is one of those genre benders that combines the physics fun of a game like Topple with the concept of the castle siege.  I’m pretty sure this is the only one you’ll run across that focuses on the war between birds and pigs, however.  I’m never quite sure going into a game like this what to expect, but I’m happy to report that Angry Birds is amusing, challenging and above all quite fun.

If you’re familiar with Cake Mania, your first impression of Turbo Subs is going to be “isn’t this Cake Mania in a sub shop?”  In some ways it feels like it, though as far as I’m concerned that’s merely a testament of how well the Cake Mania format of game play works.  Turbo Subs has its own atmosphere, its own set of challenges, and its own rewards.  Best of all, it’s just as fun as Cake Mania.  Game play can get quite frantic, but in the end it’s all worth it and the game is a delight to play.