Game Review: Word Arena

In case you haven't noticed, we like word games. Z-Games Studio's Word Arena is yet another competitive word game that pits players against one another online. They were gracious enough to send us a copy of the game early before Word Arena's official release to the Marketplace later tonight and we've been putting the competitive word game through its paces. Find out what we thought of it after the break.

The Basics
For anyone who's played either Wordament or Wordrix's online component, we think you'll find yourselves right at home playing Z-Games' latest. The game is Boggle for the mobile internet age, where players compete worldwide for glory. The game itself is a 4x4 grid of letters arranged randomly and you drag your finger across adjacent letters to string together a word. Any word you find gets you points, and the more complex or obscure the word is the more points you get. Sounds easy, but add in the two-minute time limit and the fact that you're competing against everyone in the world and you better be ready to throw the gloves off.

Where Word Arena differentiates itself from other games is in its multiplayer-centric features. While you can't play users head to head, you can interact with other players quite a bit while playing on the international battlefield. Adding friends is easily done by highlighting their name at the end of each game. Then the game will keep track of them and you can compare scores with the global leaderboards or just with the Friends leaderboard. The game includes 'Messages', a player-to-player chat that users can contact each other with while in-game. Messages also support push notifications to let you know when you've received a new message if you're out of the game.

It looks like a version 3.0 product instead of version 1.0

The Good
There's the expression, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression", and fortunately for Word Arena it won't have to worry about any of that. What really wowed us was the beautiful production quality of the game; it looks like a version 3.0 product instead of version 1.0. The main menu features slick animations with an always-moving background, and even picks up on your phone's accent color to create a matching look. When you tap on items the letters are highlighted just like they are in-game, or if you tap on icons they highlight and quickly fade with the rest of the screen as it transitions to the next area. The little things go a long way to make that memorable first impression, and that's one area where Word Arena triumphs. We're also surprised by just how natural the gameplay feels. Word Arena is fast and the game is immediately intuitive. We also love the offline 'Practice' mode which lets us addicts build our vocabulary without the stress of a time limit (time can be added as you play) or by using our precious data plans.

All of those are great features, but our true excitement for Word Arena are its amazing community features. While none are revolutionary, the Messages player-to-player chat is a killer feature in our opinion. Having chat in an online-oriented game is the most obvious feature move to take and yet we still love its implementation here. It keeps track of all of your friends and you tap on their names to see a short conversation view. Then you just type and send whatever you want. It's simple, easy, and truly the best feature of the game despite having a Beta label attached to it.

Word Arena definitely won't be winning any originality awards.

The Bad
Word Arena is an incredibly nice product for being version 1.0, but thats hardly a surprise when you take a glance at reigning word-game champ Wordament. It's undeniable that the game is almost a carbon copy of You vs. the Internet's popular game and Word Arena definitely won't be winning any originality awards. Also despite how fast it generally feels, there's still a few areas where Word Arena is obviously a little undercooked. The most noticeable issue is when you're playing the game online and new ads begin to load. On slower data connections we noticed a few seconds of lag while ads were loading which temporarily froze the game and therefore affected our time limit. We also noticed that the Results page was extremely laggy in some cases when switching between the categories of common words, uncommon words, and words found. Finally, the hardest thing Word Arena will have to overcome is the fact that no one is playing it yet. The game feels very empty at the moment and that's because it's a format that thrives when a community surrounds it. For now Word Arena doesn't have that and they may need to be aggressive if they plan to get users to play it when so many are already invested in Wordament.

Conclusion
Z-Games Studios has turned out an impressive new addition to the online word game category that improves upon a successful formula in almost every single way. Word Arena does get penalized for its lack of originality and obviously needs to gain traction in order to have more than just a handful of players, but the game is of such great quality that we find it hard to complain about much else. The Messages feature is one we could really see as the game's best selling point--it really turns an otherwise solo experience into an effective group one. All in all we highly recommend you check out Word Arena. It may not have the crowd yet, but there's a solid foundation which it can grow upon and we can't wait to see that happen.

Note: You vs. the Internet, developers of Wordament, contacted us earlier today to request removal of this review due to a possible legal issue surrounding their intellectual property rights. However we have decided to republish the review with some revisions. But we will still comply with You vs. the Internet's concerns and therefore we will not be directly linking to the game. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Game Review: Wordrix

Who doesn't love a good word game? No one. Why? Probably because most everyone can play them. However not every word game is so great and there are plenty of duds floating around in the world as we know it. Fortunately we usually find some pretty good word games for Windows Phone like the excellent Wordament. Now under our most critical eye is another word game from Haylex Studios called Wordrix. Unsurprisingly Wordrix is very similar in core gameplay to Wordament and on first impression we wrote it off as a generic word grid game. As we spent more time with it though, we realized maybe Wordrix was on to something more. For our full thoughts and score of the game, continue past the break.



The Basics
Like we said, Wordrix is setup in a similarly way as Wordament's core gameplay but for those who don't know we'll run through the basics. After you start a game, you're presented with a 5x5 grid of random letters and the main objective is to drag your finger across letters in order to create words for which you're awarded points. The bigger or more obscure the word, the more points you get. However things start to deviate from here as Wordrix makes things simultaneously easier and harder. Unlike Wordament, your game board actually changes everytime you find words because the letters you used are eliminated and new words drop in their place. Think of it as a mix of Scrabble and Bejeweled and you'll get the idea. Of course this can make things easier once you run into a roadblock with your original grid, but it also can make things harder because there is less control over the presence of consonants and letters you may need. If you overuse your vowels, you could be stuck with an impossible game board and a slowly ticking clock.

So aside from the basics, you also get two main game modes: Classic Race the Clock and Score Sprints. The former will pit you against the clock as you race to find as many words as you possibly can while the latter sets a predetermined score limit and you have to compete for the fastest time. Then there's the online play mode called The Arena in which every user is given the same board and you compete for the highest score within a two-minute limit. Speaking of online, the game also supports leaderboards both locally and globally across the web. Another method of squeezing out more replay value from your Wordrix experience are the inclusion of achievements which work just like Xbox Live games except they are tied to your Wordrix username. As you can tell, Wordrix comes packed with a ton of content for the price...but how much of it did we enjoy?

Think of it as a mix of Scrabble and Bejeweled and you'll get the idea.

The Good
Undoubtedly one of the biggest draws for Wordrix is how much you're getting. Haylex Studios has bundled in a lot of goodies for a non-XBL game and for a price that's significantly less too. The best part is that all of the features actually contribute to the enjoyment of the game, and we only wish more developers could stuff in this many features without losing what made their game so great in the first place. Of course the gameplay is the most important part of a game and Wordrix doesn't disappoint. There's a reason we enjoyed Wordament and the same applies to Wordrix's frantic fun, but we also enjoy the new mechanic of letters being eliminated which significantly increases the risks of running into a brick wall before you reach your limit. Speaking of, those limits are found in multiple game types and that's yet another flexibility the game offered that we really enjoyed. Plus Haylex Studios has informed us that a future update may bring up to two more new game modes to try, which is great to hear as it contributes more variety. The online component is phenomenal as well, as The Arena and global leaderboards make for a lot of fun when you're in the mood to compete against your Windows Phone peers.

The Bad
The one significant negative of the game was the very same thing that makes it so much fun--the elimination of letters from the game board. It's bad enough when you can't think of words to make, but when you literally run out of letters that can be used to make a word it's extremely frustrating. What's more confusing though, is that the game lacks any sort of screen that tells you, "No more words! You lose", or something similar like Bejeweled does. If the game added that feature it would help significantly, but as it stands it is the most disappointing aspect of Wordrix. Another negative is the presentation of the game which, while nice, we found to be a little too 'basic' for us. A splash of personality into the interface would really help, and while the game includes multiple themes we never found them to be too visually appealing. Besides that we found that some areas of the game were much less responsive to the touch than others, like the Achievements and Instructions screen which were extremely laggy when scrolling with your finger.

Conclusion
We gave Wordament a 9. We're going to give Wordrix a 9 too, although we really feel the work Haylex Studios has done outranks the You vs. The Internet hit. How? It's all in the options, and Wordrix comes packed with them. Offering similar gameplay offline along with more configurable game modes makes the experience much more enjoyable. The robust added features like achievements and leaderboards also makes things obvious that the developer is committed to offering a great experience instead of just a quick buck. In the end though, that's really all it costs for the ad-free version: a buck! Haylex Studios is even more generous than that and has offered up the full game for free thanks to ad support. With promises to add more game modes and features in the near future, Wordrix is a wise investment for any Windows Phone gamer and we highly recommend you check it out.

	Wordrix Haylex Studios $0.99 + Trial Version 2.4
	Wordrix Free Haylex Studios FREE Version 2.4

Game Review: Angry Birds (Video)

Angry Birds. The name alone instills fear into the minds of millions of people worldwide. Those who fear it know that once they place their hands on the game and fling their first sacrilegious bird into the air, they have become brainwashed and absorbed into the abyss. Hours wasted, lives ruined--all in the pursuit of the unholy "quick fix"...and now it's on Windows Phone!

Rovio has discovered an entirely new population of those unaware of its forbidden fruit and after last week's release we decided to taste it for ourselves. What did we come away with from the experience? Continue past the break to find out.

The Basics
Your mission is simple: seek vengeance on those nasty green pigs for stealing your precious eggs with birds flung by catapult. You can do so by pulling back on the bird inside the catapult, aiming exactly where you want, and then let go to begin the hurt. But Angry Birds differentiates the core gameplay by adding in a little bit of flavor to keep things fresh as it goes. In the game there are quite a few different bird types and each of them have a different function when activated by a tap on the screen:

• The Red Bird - The classic smasher. No special abilities but strong if you know how to use it.
• The Blue Bird - A small bird that multiplies into three in mid-air.
• The Yellow Bird - A medium-sized bird that boosts to smash into objects with more velocity.
• The White Bird - Fires a small, but powerful egg from directly beneath it.
• The Black Bird - Explodes on collision or can be triggered early depending on your strategy.
• The Boomerang - Whips back around just like a boomerang.
• The Big Brother - A super-sized Red bird. Don't mess with this one.

There's plenty of variety here and all of the birds have such unique abilities that it never really gets old. As you progress through the game each bird is unlocked to give you more firepower, but the game's levels also become more challenging as you go. Obstacles protecting those oinkers include wooden, stone, and ice blocks as well as permanent walls that you'd usually bounce off of. Angry Birds is all about strategy by making the best of what you have and thanks to the 165 levels included in the Windows Phone port, you'll have plenty of time to master that formula.

The Good
There's a reason Angry Birds is one of the most successful video games of all time: the gameplay rocks. Each level is wonderfully designed and the birds you're given open up hundreds of possible strategies; no one person will play the same level the same way, and that's a credit earned by a quality game. It's also the ultimate mobile game, providing just enough compelling fun to keep you hooked for about five minutes before you're stashing it away and itching to play another round later. Tie that into the phenomenal graphics and art style and you have a potent mix of success. The Windows Phone port in particular has its perks and the biggest one is certainly Xbox Live support. Angry Birds includes the standard 200 Gamerscore points to be earned through its achievements. While iOS may have Game Center, there's no denying the addictive nature and added replay value Xbox Live achievements bring to the table and they are arguably this version's best unique selling point. There's also support for leaderboards which presents your top scores alongside your friends'.

Paying more to get you less is always a terrible offer, and that's what you get with Angry Birds on Windows Phone.

The Bad
As solid of a foundation as Angry Birds is, the Windows Phone port is also severely lacking in some key areas. The biggest no-no in our book is the fact that this port is based on version 1.4.2 of the game, which is from last November. Just last month the Android & iOS ports of the game were updated to v1.6.0 and include new content and levels. That's already sort of a slap in the face since the game only just came out last week and it's already significantly outdated. Couple the old content with the fact that Angry Birds costs the most of any other smartphone platform version and it's clear Rovio didn't put in their full effort. Paying more to get you less is always a terrible offer, and that's what you get with Angry Birds on Windows Phone. The only issue we found with the actual gameplay in this port was a minor sensitivity bug. Whenever it was zoomed in and we tried to activate a bird's ability by tapping the screen or swiping up on the screen, it would sometimes accidentally think you were pushing the camera around instead and would fail to activate the ability. Again, this usually only occurred when zoomed in and a swipe so it's easily avoidable.



Overall
Definitely the biggest game you could get on a smartphone platform, Angry Birds has found success through a high-quality, low-cost proposition. The high-quality remains present in the Windows Phone port thanks to the crisp visuals, snappy performance, and the added Xbox Live bonuses. However, the low-cost side of the deal has gone raw with this port which offers an older version of the game with less content for a higher price than its iOS and Android counterparts. For releasing so much later than the other platform ports, that is almost inexcusable...almost. As much as our inner-cynic wants to rain hell on Rovio for being lazy and greedy with this port, our common sense is telling us that Angry Birds is still a quality game and to most of the people picking up the game it probably wouldn't matter to them. For $2.99 you are getting one of the best mobile games of this generation, and honestly it's hard to say it's not worth it. Try it for yourself by clicking on the tile below.

Angry Birds Rovio $2.99 + Trial Version 1.0

Game Review: ORB

What's better than a fun, motion-controlled action arcade game? One that's stylish and as a bonus won't break the bank either. Version 2.0 of Palladium Power's ORB made a splash in the Marketplace a couple of weeks ago when it went on a one-day sale for the low price of free and since then has been pretty popular. Now whenever a game is offered for free in the Marketplace, we always tend to be a little suspicious and hopeful we don't get stuck with a lemon but ORB has pleasantly surprised us (plus we waited to actually pay for the game). Follow the break for our full thoughts on and score of Palladium Power's ORB.

The Basics
The objective of the game is simple enough: you control an orb and avoid the orb falling off the tiles its rolling upon. Maneuvering the orb is done through tilting the phone side-to-side while controlling the speed is done through a tilt up/down action. The 5x8 grid of tiles is slightly tilted in the area of the screen given in order to give you a better idea of control and more time to predict any obstacles. Speaking of which, there are quite a few varieties of special tiles that can throw you off (figuratively and literally):

• A Yellow tile that shows an arrow on top of it and when your orb rolls on top, it is 'bumped' in the same direction as the arrow.
• A Red tile which, when rolled over, explodes all of the ground within a 2-3 tile radius.
• A Blue tile which will launch your phone in the air in order to make it across large jumps.
• A Green tile to rapidly accelerate the orb in your current direction.

The in-game graphics are superb and undoubtedly some of the best we've seen in a game without the Xbox Live brand on its tile.

The Good
We found plenty to enjoy in our time with ORB. For one, the presentation quality is absolutely through the roof. They are best described as 'slick', lending an ultra-futuristic vibe to the entire game. It really works too: the in-game graphics are superb and undoubtedly some of the best we've seen in a game without the Xbox Live brand on its tile. But it's so much more than that, as Palladium Power has translated the look and feel of the game to directly match the rest of ORB's interface. The result is a title that is a cohesive package; everything from the menus to the pause screen carries the  distinctive look of ORB's gameplay. Honestly, you could tell a friend ORB is an XBL game and they may just believe it. Plus we really enjoyed the tiles-based obstacles which added some nice differentiation while playing. Throw in the online and local leaderboards too and the game has a whole new competitive angle to it. We also give points out to any game that handles resuming well after you leave the game only to return later, and luckily ORB is among those select few.

The Bad
So as you can tell, we really enjoy ORB's strong features and we commend the presentation work Palladium Power has put into the game. But every game has its downsides and ORB is no different. The biggest deduction against the game is its limited replay value. This is mostly due to the game restarting from the basic beginning each time you lose, and when you're looking for more of a challenge there's no difficulty options or skill-based levels to choose from. As much as we enjoy playing the game, it's also frustrating when you make it far into the harder areas of a marathon session and you have to restart--from the very 'holding-your-hands' beginning--in order to get your fix. This made us leave the game more often that we really wanted to, so the addition of a few difficulty levels would go a long way to making this right. Besides that, there's a few more nitpicks we have for the game. When we first fired up ORB and pressed the Play button from the main menu, the game abruptly started. While that may seem like a good thing, the problem is that we had no familiarity with the game and there wasn't even any sort of 'countdown' in order to be ready. Of course now that we're used to it the issue is no longer a big deal, but we still think it's worth correcting. Another thing is the lack of an accelerometer calibration option, which is something we consider a necessity with any tilt-based games. Finally, we sort of thought the music was repetitive while playing the game which only offers two very generic electronic beats.



Overall
We think Palladium Power has definitely crafted a stand out game with ORB. We ourselves have yet to see a non-Xbox Live game as wonderfully designed or as graphically beautiful as this title. You're not only getting a looker, the game has plenty of brains too thanks to its engaging gameplay and support for local and online leaderboards. The big thing really holding back this slick action game is the weak replay value, but luckily it should be an area that can be improved upon with future updates. Plus for the low price of $1.29, we really can't find much to complain about. So do yourself a favor and swipe those tiles over to the Marketplace and check out the game.

ORB Palladium Power FREE (Sale) $1.29 + Trial (Regular) Version 2.0

Game Review: Wordament

Have you ever been to one of those massive chess tournaments? We're talking massive--around 200 people or so, divided up into 100 tables and duking each other out. Well take that concept but swap out those 200 people with the entire internet. Then make all of those users play each other in a single massive game at the same time. Now apply that scale to a game like WordSearch. What do you get? A word tournament, or more specifically, Wordament.

Here's how it works: you start up Wordament and the first thing it will ask you to do before playing is to setup a screen name. You register a screen name you like, it's tied to your phone, and you're all set to go. No passwords, no email validations -- setup is probably the easiest part of the game. Then you swipe 'Play' and you're on your way to do that. Each game of Wordament takes place at the exact same time worldwide for every user for a duration of two minutes and then about 40 seconds in between to see high scores and words.

The core gameplay is already quite engaging but adding the internet dynamic to it is what really distinguishes Wordament

So how do you actually play? Well you're given a game square board of sixteen randomized letters, arranged in a 4x4 grid. Each letter on the grid is assigned a point value and you must find words consisting of three letters or more. Then you'll receive points for finding words, and the points will vary depending on the individual point value of each letter used in the word. The objective of the game is to get the most points within the 2-minute limit of each game. We see gaining points from words as two approaches so far: you can either quickly spot all of the simple three or four letter words as you possibly can, or you can take your time and try to find the 'obscure' words that are ultimately worth more points per word. Or you can take the third strategy which is to find as many short words as possible but also be watchful for larger obscure words.

As you can tell, the core gameplay is already quite engaging but adding the internet dynamic to it is what really distinguishes Wordament from other word find games. Just the fact that you know you're playing against around 200 or so players from across the globe is an amazing thought. What's more is that the same exact 4x4 game board is given to each player, yet as you can tell the different words to be found and strategies to be used is so numerous that everyone can find different words from one another from the same exact set of letters. Plus knowing that you're competing on a global leaderboard and the limit of 2 minutes means that everyone is on an equal footing and that you do have a chance for your 15 seconds of fame if you rank high on the list after a good game.

However, sometimes that excellent web aspect of the game can backfire.

However, sometimes that excellent web aspect of the game can backfire. Wordament obviously relies on an internet connection in order to play which can create a few problems on smartphones. While the developers have certainly optimized the game's performance over a 3G connection, we still find that our experience can vary sporadically depending on our location. Usually the experience deteriorates when we have one bar of cellular data, but there have been occasions where we've had a full five bars of 3G and yet the game performed oddly slow and load times increased significantly. However you could easily blame that on your carriers' poor 3G service in any area. The real problem we ran into was when we had a weak Wi-Fi signal; the game became nearly unplayable with touches not being registered, words taking several seconds to confirm points as our time limit depreciated without stopping, and results and leaderboards sometimes completely failing to load. Clearly the developers haven't optimized the game to respond to weaker wireless internet connections in the same way they have for cell data. Wordament is seemingly well optimized for 3G, but the poor performance on weak Wi-Fi signals is somewhat inexcusable, especially when an internet connection is required in order to play.

Overall we found Wordament to be an extremely addicting and rewarding experience. The two minute length of each game is the perfect amount to hook you in for the dreaded 'just one more game', and the competitive nature of a worldwide tournament with rankings really adds to that. Plus the game is fast and really responsive, two things required if you want to get multiplayer right gaming on such a large scale. However the spotty optimization for weak Wi-Fi signals is the one truly negative issue working against the game's success. Besides that, though, Wordament is a truly unique experience, one that is extremely addictive and even more rewarding. For that, we couldn't recommend it enough.

Wordament You vs. the Internet FREE Version 1.3

Click on the tile to get the game!

Game Review: Spectra

From classic arcade titles like Donkey Kong to three-dimensional mind benders like Portal, platforming games with puzzle elements have a special place in the hearts of many a gamer. It still remains one of the most popular genres in gaming, despite the current generation's chronic addiction to hyper-realistic twitch shooters. One could even argue platforming games have received their biggest boost in popularity yet thanks to the ongoing smartphone revolution, which has placed gaming devices into millions of people's hands. One game capitalizing on mobile gaming's admiration of platforming is Spectra and while it isn't a platformer in the traditional sense, the arcade-style game instead creates a compelling experience by taking a simple color-based concept and absolutely running with it.

Like all great arcade games, the premise and execution of Spectra seems stupidly simple at first

Like all great arcade games, the premise and execution of Spectra seems stupidly simple at first: you are a small block that is constantly moving from side-to-side and your objective is to climb up the platforms as high as possible before dying. But here's the wild card--your block can change colors and you can only jump onto platforms that match the color you are. For example, if you're blue the only platforms that are "solid" for you to land on are blue. Don't underestimate the game's apparent simplicity--it will make you scream in fury and frustration if you screw up.

Speaking of frustration, Spectra's controls are fortunately just the opposite. The game gives you two areas of control: the color-chooser on the left side and the rest of the screen dedicated to the platforming action. Also in that area, you have to tap anywhere in order to make your block jump. But the controls are the simple part; the real challenge is how you use them. As your block moves from side to side, you have to make sure that you time your jump right and that your block is the correct color in order to land on the platform. So if you're red and you jump perfectly but the platform is blue and you can't change color in time, you fall and could die. Again, it's difficulty is hard to express in words but trust us, Spectra will make you pull your hair out...in a good way of course. Somehow the game manages to hook you in and bring you back for more sadistic torture.

Spectra will make you pull your hair out...in a good way of course.

Despite the frustrating and thus addictive nature of its gameplay, Spectra does an excellent job of making sure the game doesn't become too repetitive. Every time you start a new game, the level is randomly generated ensuring that you receive a new head-smashing experience every time. Another added element for replay value is the support of leaderboards for local and online.

Yet the honeymoon period had to end sometime and sadly, Spectra isn't perfect. If you couldn't already tell, the game isn't so much the looker you may have been hoping for. It's just ugly--the epitome of design deemed 'functional'. A game so rich in concept and skillful in execution looks no better than E.T. from the heydays of the Atari 2600. But one does have to appreciate the game's willingness to sacrifice aesthetics for functionality, and admittedly Spectra is very easy to pick up and play. So while the retro look is a little too faithful to gaming's early years of trial-and-error, it more than makes up for it with its intuitive execution.

Overall
Spectra is one of those gems that is perfectly suited to today's mobile gaming platforms and would have rocked in a dusty arcade twenty years ago. Its shortcomings in aesthetics tend to make an unfavorable first impression, but once past that you'll be treated to a tricky game that hooks you in and doesn't let go.

	Rating: Great! Spectra Andrew Bunn FREE Version 1.0.0.0
Click on the tile to get the game!