Ever since the days that Sim City first graced the Commodore 64 back in 1989, gaming has forever been shaped by its lofty influence. It is of little surprise that it was then ported to virtually every platform known to man, as well as spawning countless titles based on almost (if not completely) the identical concept. G5 Entertainment’s upcoming iPhone game Virtual City looks to be no exception to the rule, joining a rapidly expanding club of city building games on iOS devices.
Unfortunate as it may be, Virtual City is not quite ready for public consumption at this point in the development, so the team decided to take an interesting approach and release a “lite” version of the app to tide gamers over until the full release. I know what you are thinking: “Why would we want to play a lite version, when the full version isn’t completed?” G5 had this specifically in mind when they were crafting the demo and made sure to pack in full of plenty of features:
Virtual City FREE offers four levels of pure fun, over 30 minutes of game play and supports iPhone 4 Retina Display resolution. Build dwelling houses and industrial buildings, produce goods and deliver them to the shopping malls and setup mass-transit system. Make your city a better place to live by recycling garbage, planting trees, and upgrading buildings to make them more eco-friendly. — Press Release VIA G5E.com
Giving away thirty minutes of game doesn’t really sound like that much time on the surface, but that can cover quite a bit of downtime while stuck waiting in line. If it is nothing more than an effective time burn it is worth the download. If you are wondering what the game plays like, then wonder no more and check out the gameplay example below:
Here is a big shocker… It is EXACTLY what you would expect! Constructing and managing your resources seems about as simple as could be expected from a touch interface, while hopefully managing to keep a firm grasp on the complexity that makes the genre appealing to so many. I know I am a big fan of being able to micromange every aspect of my cities, so that is a must for me.
The bottom line is that for a glorified free demo, Virtual City Free looks like it will give you quite a bit to sink your teeth into, well as long as you can game quickly. Also, that thirty minute time limit better be per session, otherwise I may have a bigger beef altogether…
G5 Entertainment has brought to your iDevice the wildly successful PC game Mushroom Age. The game is a Story driven adventure through different times and places. With engaging puzzles and a vast story line this will be an worthy addition to any game lover. I for one can’t wait to play it.
The Mushroom Age is a wild seek-and-find adventure through the past, present, and future! Our heroine, Vera, is desperately searching for her fiancé, Tom, who disappeared just days before their wedding. When Vera activates a time machine at Tom’s work, it starts her on an epic quest to not only find Tom, but to save the world from history-changing villains. Race against time as you solve challenging puzzles and find hidden objects alongside a cast of characters that range from a dinosaur to Socrates. So, why call it “The Mushroom Age?” You’ll have to play to find out!
Mushroom Age for iPhone supports iPhone 4 Retina Display resolution, providing a stunningly detailed crystal clear image. iOS 4 multitasking is also supported.
The game features:
Beautiful graphics and fantastic characters
Great story line
45 Levels in 23 Chapters
Over 40 mesmerizing mini-games
Strange and amazing landscapes
Save the past and future!
Mushroom Age for the iPhone $2.99
Mushroom Age HD for the iPad $4.99
Publisher/Developer: G5 Entertainment Genre: Mahjongg Price: $4.99 (On sale for $0.99 as of publication) Verdict: Excellent Mahjongg game that is strongly recommended to new and old players alike. Pros: Great example of Mahjongg Cons:No autosave can get irritating
As a change from a usual schedule, I want to start with a little history lesson. According to all the history books ever made, Mahjongg is pretty old. Certainly older than most other games you see on your iPhone, clocking in at around 150 years old depending on which theory you believe. It’s no surprise why it’s stuck around for so long as it’s pretty good fun. There are a few different variants of the game with arguably two being the most popular. One is a four player version a little bit like Rummy or Dominos, while the other is the one that is most often demonstrated in games such as Mahjongg Artifacts 2. For those of you who have never played a Mahjongg game of this type, it involves a screen full of tiles all with different symbols, essentially you have to match the tiles together. Thankfully it’s not as simple as that, otherwise we’d have a pretty tedious game on our hands. You can only choose a tile that isn’t ‘trapped’ amongst the other tiles, each board is arranged in a way that means you have to ‘unlock’ other tiles to reach them so that you can complete the puzzle. Make too many wrong moves and you’ll be stuck with no moves left to play.
Mahjongg Artifacts 2 is a great example of Mahjongg. The controls are extraordinarily simple and very easy to get to grips with. With a game of this type, it would look silly with overly fancy graphics but the tiles on display here have the appropriate amount of detail to them. Offering three different modes of play, there is plenty to get busy with. If like me, you like a bit of structure to your gaming, quest mode is ideal. It offers 25 levels of Mahjongg ‘action’ with a fairly flimsy storyline to link the levels together. Admittedly the storyline will never win any prizes for good storytelling but it was nice of the developer to at least try. Then, there is the classic mode which offers 99 levels, and the endless mode which is…well it’s endless. In game, to make things a little easier, you collect up green pearls every time you make a match, these pearls are then used to provide you with the option to undo your previous move, provide hints and to ’shake’ the board up moving all the tiles around.
I found Mahjongg Artifacts good, clean fun. Sure it might not be a fast moving game and certainly not one for the adrenaline fiends, but it’s satisfying to complete a puzzle and overall, just plain good fun. At currently a mere $0.99 it’s really hard not to recommend it, even if you don’t normally play this kind of game. I guarantee the five minutes you devote to this game will suddenly become an hour or two as you aim to complete the quest mode, even if you’re not really fussed about the story.
This is where all the food made by Cooking Mama ends up.
Released: Feb 25, 2009 Developer/Publisher : G5 Entertainment Verdict: Nab the free trial here Pros: Colorful, quality visuals Cons: Time management isn’t necessarily fun
Going into this review, I wasn’t immediately aware that “time management” was a video game genre, as opposed to a fancy name for organizing your calendar. And to be completely honest, the features of Supermarket Mania don’t exactly leap of the page. Here’s a direct quote from some of their PR, demonstrating to what degree your mind will be blown:
“Time Management mania
Accessories and upgrades
Stock `til you drop!”
I mean wow. That last line in particular looks like the sort of hellish nightmare that Taiwanese sweatshop workers wake up to every morning.
So it may come as a surprise that Supermarket Mania isn’t a bad experience; it just depends on what type of gamer you are. Here’s the scoop:
You are, like, a super-rad Caucasian, blond chick that would make Hanna Montana seem tasteful, and guess what? It’s totally your first day on the job as a stock worker at the supermarket! Except you are the only human employee, surrounded by robot workers. So the game takes place in some kind of weird, candy-coated dystopia, or maybe a Matrix-style fantasy of a 13 year-old-girl? Anyway, I can check off the little box that says I’ve discussed the setting now.
The point of Supermarket Mania is to keep the shelves stocked and the customers happy, and boy are they every bit as obnoxious and belligerent as in real life. If you can’t keep up with everyone in the store and someone is left waiting for a few seconds, they will up and leave, taking their money with them. You tap a shelf to fill it with goods, and when your cart empties, you tap the supply room to restock. When a customer gets what they want, you get money. You need to earn a certain amount of money to complete each level. There are other curve balls thrown into the mix, like shoplifters who will cut into your earnings, and teenagers that trash your store if you’re not careful.
I can't buy 14 pineapples right this second? Fuck you!
In conducting research (term used loosely) on this whole time management thing, I came across titles like Diner Dash, which are both positively reviewed and under the same genre umbrella. What I’m getting at, is that there are people who like this sort of game. Do I? Not really, but I want that information out there so the right message can reach the right people.
Supermarket Mania requires, and is comprised almost entirely of, micromanaging skills. It’s a love-it or hate-it type of experience, and your enjoyment of the game will be determined entirely by what side of the “time management” fence you sit on. If the description sounds boring, playing Supermarket Mania will not convince you otherwise. If you love other games in this genre, then Supermarket Mania is a well-executed and good-looking entry into that space.
Alright, enough dancing around the point; If you have an OCD personality, you will love this game. This includes people who play RTS games, tactical RPGs, and trophy/achievement completionists.
Ever since the days that Sim City first graced the Commodore 64 back in 1989, gaming has forever been shaped by its lofty influence. It is of little surprise that it was then ported to virtually every platform known to man, as well as spawning countless titles based on almost (if not completely) the identical concept. G5 Entertainment’s upcoming iPhone game Virtual City looks to be no exception to the rule, joining a rapidly expanding club of city building games on iOS devices.
