Does Ouya Matter

Ouya has finally been released. Ouya was a huge sucess on Kickstarter. It had a lot of people excited about the idea of an Android gaming console. So how is Ouya and does it matter in today's gaming market?

For starters Ouya is not a powerhouse. Ouya is designed with Indie developers in mind. This means that you wont see a lot of big budget titles releasing. However Sega has a few Sonic titles and Square Enix has Final Fantasy 3 on Ouya. So there are some exceptions, but overall it will have smaller unknown games. For the record I love Shadowgun on Ouya (just like I did on Xperia Play).

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I actually like a lot of indie games. As smart phones have proven there is a huge market for these games. So time will tell of people want to play these games on the big screen.

Okay so Ouya wont blow your mind with graphics but it is a really well built(and good looking system). The OS is also smooth and attractive. Every Ouya game is "free to try" so there's no upfront money to get playing. Overall the Ouya is a good, cheap console ($99).

Does the Ouya matter? I thought the Ouya concept was great when I first heard about it. However since then both Sony and Nintendo have been making huge efforts to get Indie games on their platforms. In theory the games releasing on Ouya will also be on Wii U, PS3, PS4, and PS Vita. Plus the fact most of these games are on IOS and other Android devices.

Ouya really is a cool device. At $99 it has huge potential to make waves in the gaming industry. I just wonder if it's a little to late. Either way if you can afford to buy one you might as well, it's fun.

ShadowGun Xperia Play Review

ShadowGun by MadFinger games, is one of the best looking games on any mobile device. It uses the Unity3D engine and it really impresses. I can't give this game enough praise. ShadowGun looks and plays very similar to Gears of War. If you've played Gears then you know what to expect. Also the game has some pretty good voice actors, which is uncommon for most mobile games.


Think he's compensating for something?

 If you're using the Xperia Play the game supports the slide out controller. Everything plays smooth and you shouldn't have any trouble playing through the entire game. If your using any other phone or tablet the on screen buttons work pretty well. I did have a little difficulty aiming, but after you play a few levels you'll get the hang of it. So either way you're covered.

Let's be honest we don't play 3rd Person Shooters for the story. We play so we can shoot and blow up stuff. Now it is nice if a game has a coherent story, but it's not mandatory. Fortunately ShadowGun has a pretty decent and straight forward story. You play a bounty hunter, and your there to get your bounty...enough said about that.

What's even better is how MadFinger games has released a new and free update. The update takes place after the main game, so the story continues. It adds new levels and a new weapon. It's nice when a developer continues to support a game even after they've made their money.

If you're looking for an awesome shooter then buy ShadowGun. It will not disappoint you in any way. It's honestly as good as the average console game, and a fraction of the price. In the words of Plex the Magic Robot. Try it...You'll like it!

The Dead: Chapter One for Android

If your looking for a good zombie shooter, than look no more. The Dead: Chapter One is a free zombie FPS. The Dead puts you against waves of zombies. Kill them all and repeat again and again...until you die. I'm running this on my Xperia Play and the game is fully optimized for the slide out controller. The graphics while being suitable, aren't going to wow you. They are very outdated, but considering it's free that doesn't matter. Give it a try and see what you think

Onlive on Xperia Play

I downloaded the new Onlive App for android and it's amazing. What makes it more amazing is having the Xperia Play. Onlive uses the full controller for it's games. So it's like having a high end gaming pc in your pocket.

Onlive (in case you don't know) is a video game streaming service. It was originally made for PC but has recently been released for IOS and Android devices. There is also a micro console they sell that hooks up to a HD TV. Onlive has over a hundred games that can be streamed directly to your device as long as you have a decent internet connection. The better your connection the better your resolution.

Onlive has a few ways to play also. You can buy individual games permanently, or you can rent them for 3-5 days. They also have a service called the "playback bundle". This lets you choose from over 130 games to play as much as you want for 1 month...and it costs only $9.99 a month. That's really a hard deal to beat. These are awesome games to like Batman Arkham Asylum, Splinter Cell, Assassins Creed, Dirt 3, and that's only a hand full.

Of course I'm really discussing the Xperia Play option. Onlive has a controller they sell and the Xperia Play controller plays as if you had that. It literally uses every button on the phones slide out controller and it works. I have played a few genres of games and they are all great. I have played Batman Arkham Asylum, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Aliens VS Predator ( the new one, though the classic is on there as well) and they all play just as they would on a home console. I did notice some lagging while playing once, but I had multiple devices running on my router.

Onlive is just cool, no matter what your playing it on. BUT if you have an Xperia Play (which is already great for gaming to begin with) then you must at least give this a try. BTW almost every game has a 30 minute trial, so why not give it a shot on PC, IOS, or Android.

9mm Xperia Play Review

9mm is Gameloft's homage to the Max Payne series. You play as  John "Loose" Kannon, a cop who shoots first and asks questions...never. He actually resembles Mark Walburg, so that's even more of a nod to Max Payne. It also has the iconic "bullet time". The game looks pretty good and the controls are fine, but it has many flaws that make it forgettable.

Graphics and Gameplay
The graphics in the game are pretty slick. The game really looks very good. Character models and scenery are smooth. Graphics look similar to a PS2 game, and on a 4 inch screen thats not bad. Bullet time plays a large role in 9mm. It is activated by pushing the left trigger button. Then you dive or run in slow mo while picking off your enemies. Does it work...yes but it's not a perfect system. John has a difficult time understanding that you want him to dive and not run. Another problem I had was that Gameloft left in some touch screen controls. There are quick time events where you have to touch the screen. This is not an easy task with the X Plays controller slid out. You also have to touch the screen to open any door in the game. This is just pure lazyness on Gameloft. There were buttons that were not even used on the controller.

Story and Voice Acting
I'm glad when a mobile game has full voice acting. It makes it feel more like a console game. However 9mm has some of the worst voice acting I've ever heard. Everyone is extremely over the top. At one point there is a pimp who sounds like Chris Tucker mixed with Chris Rock. It's funny but they aren't trying to be. John's young daughter sounds like a middle aged woman...it's horrible!
The story is even worse. It's the typical angry cop story. John "Loose" Kannon is sick of all the drugs on the street. He then starts to kill every Mexican drug dealer/ gang banger he sees. They go after his family, he's betrayed by a friend, he kills everyone...The End. There is also a lot of swearing. So much that it sounds like a 12 year old boy trying to impress his friends with how much he can swear. It never feels like it belongs.

Online Play
Yes there is an online mode. You have Free for All, and Cops and Robbers. I never could get a sucessful online game to work. Either it was terribly laggy, or I would get disconnected.

Bottom line
9mm has good visuals and some okay gun fights. Other than that it's a piece of junk. Is it playable? Yes, but why would you want to?

Battle Field 2 Xperia Play Review

Battle Field 2 for Xperia Play is now free on the market. Since it was free I downloaded the game and let me say...it's okay. When I first fired it up I was impressed by the graphics. The game looked crisp and I thought "wow, this is going to be great". Then I saw the first enemy and how N64 he looked compared to everything else in the game. They don't look horrible, but they could look much better. I expect more from games these days (even mobile games).
Now the controlls is where the game stutters. You move your character with the left analog pad, and controll the camera with the right analog pad. Aiming down the scope and firing are done with the triggers. Other actions are done with game pads other buttons. The problem I had is with the right analog stick. It doesn;t respond with your movements well. It's overally sensitive and there is no way to adjust it. At first it was unplayable, but I stuck with it. The more I played I realized that it auto aims as long as you are pointing near the enemy. This does make the game playable, but takes away any real challenge since you really don't have to aim.
Overall Battlefield 2 is a mixed bag. It does mix up sequences such as driving tanks and maning a machine gun. This keeps the action from being the same old run and gun. If the controlls were tweaked I would say I love this game. Since they aren't at this time I can only say...I played the game...and then deleted it from my phone to free up space. Of course it is free as of right now(and will be for a few months), so give it a try.