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Gameloft recently (kind of) released ten (not counting Asphalt 5) high caliber games onto Android, ported form the iPhone versions. These game must be bought from Gameloft's website, where there are no free trials and no refunds. At first, some of the games weren't working right on certain phones. However, I messaged them about this, and they said they have fixed all of the games for all phones. I have been able to get nine of ten to work on my HTC Incredible (more on that later). Since there are no trials, and no refunds, I have decided to review all of the games to help future consumers out. While these versions are iPhone ports, they are still different and have their own sets of features (and glitches), so iPhone specific reviews won't do. These are all played on my Incredible, but I can confirm all (nine not eight) work on my dad's Droid too. Each game costs $5. Click on the games' names to go to the information and download pages.
I want to make sure to fully play through a game before reviewing it. I will post reviews as I finish games. These aren't going to be super in depth reviews--just what you need to know. Note: I treat 5/10 as average, not 7/10 like most reviewers. However, these games are of such high quality, you are going to think I am treating 7/10 as average.
This game, so far, has definitely been the the most "sweet and sour" game I have downloaded. This game combines platforming, sword fighting, stealth, and more to create a unique experience. You control an Assassin who is on a mission to save the world, or something. The story is fine, with some pretty solid voice acting. In this game, you do a lot of crazy jumping: wall jumps, grappling hook jumps, high-flying jumps, and more. You can sneak up and assassinate bad guys, or attack them with your sword, crossbow, or bombs. Each chapter you beat will unlock a new move, item, or upgrade too; it adds a great sense of progression. The game is a good length, and the levels are surprisingly varied and long.
Let's start out with what I liked. First off, the graphics are awesome! The pictures, for some reason, do not do the graphics justice--these are easily one of the best on Android. The sword play is fun, with multiple combos and blocks available to use. The levels are pretty long for how many there are. Each level was taking me about 15 minutes, unless I died! In all, there are over 35 levels--that's a lot of gameplay! The levels are varied and a blast to play. One level will have you chasing an enemy over rooftops, and another level will have you sneaking through an enemy's camp. There are also two fun minigames to play: a stealing and a sort of "make him talk with force" minigame. I finished this game first about of all of Gameloft's games because I enjoyed it the most. But it was also the first (and only) I will never play again...
There are surely some negatives to this game. First off, the game slows down at parts. This game just wasn't optimized for my phone, and it shows. Sometimes, certain textures wouldn't load, or some minigame pictures wouldn't show up (making them near impossible to beat). Fortunately, reloading the game always fixed the problems, but it is still a hassle. However, there is one game-breaking glitch. About five levels form the end (I looked up the number of levels on the iPhone version.) you fight this mini-boss. When you beat it, it does a short cutscene final blow type thing. But instead of doing it just once, it does it over, and over, and over. No matter what you do, the cutscene repeats in an infinite cycle. So, you cannot beat the game because you cannot beat this level. Nothing I have tried fixes this, and I have tried a EVERYTHING.
Once you beat the game (or get as far as you can without it glitching), there is nothing left to do. You can replay the levels at harder difficulties, but that's it. Even though this game has some graphical issues, and you can't even BEAT it, I would still highly recommend this game. When the graphics are functional (they work 99% of the time perfectly) the game is a blast. The platforming is fun and the sword-play is solid. The minigames are a nice touch, and the items you unlock along the way keep the game fresh. Even though you can't play the last five or so levels, the game is still great, and easily worth five dollars.
There's not much to talk about with Let's Golf. Simple games get simple reviews. Let's Golf is similar to Hot Shots Golf; it is a cartoony golf simulator. The game comes with three full courses, and another half-assed nine hole course (three holes with three different tees each). The graphics are very solid. Each environment looks unique and beautiful. Also, the music is superb! Each course has a catchy tune that almost makes you lose your focus on the game. The holes vary in difficulty, with the last nine hole course being the toughest (very difficult greens!). The gameplay is solid, and there is online multiplayer too (which no one plays...)!
I do have a few complaints though. First off the game is almost a little too easy (other than putting). You can aim exactly where you want, and the game will tell you what club, and how much power to use. If that is not enough, you can also add spin to your ball MIDAIR. Putting is a little more tricky, but it still tells you how much power you need. There is an "advanced" control mode where you can easily hit 100% power shots, but it also doesn't tell you how much power you need (which makes putting much more difficult). Both control types are pretty easy though. Another little annoyance i have is that you can only use a putter on a green, not on the fringe just off the green. This is no biggie though. The game seems glitch free too!
As you play tournaments, that vary in difficulty, you unlock new items for your characters that makes them better golfers. There's quite a lot of things to unlock, so replayability is good. Depending on how big of a golf fan you are, you will probably get a lot out of this game. Playing by myself is fun, but going against my dad is even better! Overall, this game is extremely well done. It is just a bit too easy.
Real Football 2010 is an excellent game for soccer (football) and non-soccer fans alike. If you are torn between this game, and FIFA 2010, I would get this game. The controls are fluid, the features are aplenty, and the gameplay is wonderful! There are many modes including: manager mode, league (online leaderboard competition), PK Shootout, Cups, Enter the Legend, and more. There is a replay function where you can save clips too! On top of all of that, there is multiplayer as well.
If there is one thing I don't like about this game, it is the graphics. They are good, but not great. The framerate is solid, but the graphics could be a tad bit sharper. The controls are my favorite part about this game. You use a directional joystick to move, and two buttons to shoot and pass (all variations). The coolest part is the moves, the jukes. To do a spin move, you draw a circle. Do do a stepover you hold anywhere there isn't a button. To do a snake, you double tap. This system works great, and is icing on top of the awesome controls. All of the big clubs and international teams are in the game (No MLS, but come on, who even cares about the MLS?), and all of their players are there. Another nice little touch is the ticker at the bottom of the menu that gives you up-to-date soccer scores!
Now, FIFA 2010 is a similar game, but I think Real Football 2010 is better. FIFA has flashier graphics, at the expense of framerate. FIFA has about the same number of teams too. FIFA has a few more flashier things like better camera angles, replays, and menus. However, where FIFA lacks is the most important part--controls. The controls on FIFA (not counting tilt controls, which are horrendous) simply aren't as tight, fluid, or fun as Real Football's. FIFA does have a better PK shootout system though. Both games have dead multiplayer too. As a whole, Real Football 2010 is a much more solid and fun soccer experience than its flashier little brother FIFA 2010.
Out of the hundreds of Android games I have played, NOVA is the best. From the stunning graphics, to the thrilling action, to the tension relieving puzzles, to the active multiplayer, NOVA is AMAZING! It is a Halo clone in a GOOD way.
NOVA is a first person shooter (FPS) with a hint of stealth, exploration, and puzzles. Most FPS's on touchscreens fail because the controls just plain suck. For NOVA, this is not the case (mostly). There are three control schemes, and two of them provide near perfect control of your character's moving, aiming, and shooting (The third wasn't working out, but with two good ones, who cares?). For my favorite control scheme, you move with a joystick on the left, shoot with the button on the right, and aim with anywhere else on the screen (You can also aim with the shoot button while shooting with an automatic weapon.). You touch the grenade button to throw grenades, the jump buttom to jump, and the stun button to stun (stuns the enemy for a bit at the expense of some of your shields). To reload, you click your weapon's icon, and to switch weapons, you can slide through the weapon icons.
First off, the story is actually not too shabby. There are some interesting plot twists and the voice acting is quite good (and funny at times too!). The graphics are superb--easily one of the, if not the, best looking games on Android. Surprisingly, there is hardly any slowdown too (I lagged ONCE!)! The environments are beautiful and quite varied. The music sets the mood and scary alien shrieks make you jump out of your seat (or shoes, or bed, or car--wherever you are playing). The game is 13 levels long, and each level lasts anywhere from 10-45minutes (The average was about 20 minutes long). There are achievements to unlock and harder difficulties to challenge you.
The exciting gameplay is wonderful! There are six different weapons: pistol (unlimited ammo), assault rifle, rocket launcher, plasma gun (unlimited ammo charge up weapon), shotgun, and sniper (my favorite!). Each weapon serves a unique purpose and is a blast to use (pun intended). The enemies are quite varied as well: from little grunt-like creatures, to zombie-marines, to giant aliens, they all attack you in a different way. One guy picks you up, and you have to shoot him with your pistol while getting strangled. The levels are quite varied too. Some are run-and-gun, some are sniper-stealth, and some have special turret sections. In one level, you ride on a big jeep shooting enemies with rocket and machine gun turrets.
Another unique aspect about this game are the hacking minigames. In one, you use mirrors and refractors to bend a laser-beam into multiple receivers (super fun with just the right amount of challenge). In another puzzle, you must spin circles to line up green dots without crossing the red dots (This one is hard to explain, and not as fun as the other one.). Each puzzle progresses you through the game or gives you ammo; they are a pleasant break in the action.
Like most Gameloft games, NOVA has online multiplayer via WiFi. However, this multiplayer is actually ACTIVE! I can easily find five matches at any time of the day. There are five maps to play on (each very different), and 4-player deathmatch is the only game mode. Shockingly, there is no lag either. The great maps, servers, controls, and balance provide for an excellent online FPS experience (on your phone!).
While I would like to call NOVA perfect, it is not (barely). I experienced slowdown on one level, but a "reload checkpoint" did the trick. There was one control problem I had though. I don't know if it was my phone, the game, or just me being a spas, but sometimes the aim would turn 90 or 180 degrees left instantly. It didn't happen much, but happened nonetheless. I wish multiplayer had a few more modes, but I won't get greedy.
I believe NOVA is the closest to perfection you can get on Android for a FPS fan and hardcore gamer like myself right now. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is smooth yet invigorating, the sound is solid, the story is actually decent, the single player is lengthy, the weapons are varied, the enemies are fierce, the puzzles are a nice touch, and there is active online multiplayer. If you have never bought a game before, or have already bought 100 games, I highly recommend picking up this masterpiece.
UNO is, well, UNO. It is a simple card game where you must match either the number or color of the last card played. There are also some other special cards you can play including: Change color, change playing direction (clockwise vs. counterclockwise), skip turn, draw two cards (next player), and change color+draw four cards. When you have one card left, you yell "UNO!", and when you play your last card, you win. UNO is a very simple game and is enjoyed by most because of its simplicity.
This game has a few different features. There is quickplay, which quickly puts you into a standard game against computers. There is single player that contains two different modes: Tournament and Custom. In Tournament play, you are put into games with preset conditions and rules. As you win, you unlock different backgrounds (with different soundtracks on each!) and icons. In Custom play, you can play a game with whichever rules you choose including: difficulty (easy, medium, hard), game mode (standard and duel), penalties (standard and cumulative), draw type (draw one, and draw and play), force play (off, on), UNO 7-0 (off, on), and jump in (off, on). Each rule can change the game quite a lot, so there is bunch to mix and match. Unlocking different backgrounds is fun, but I could care less about different player icons.
The menus are all very slick and the gameplay is smooth. The graphics are clean and the music is catchy. There is also an online (or local on one device) multiplayer that is surprisingly active too (no WiFi needed). There are, however, a few downsides. One minor problem is that the player's icon gets a tiny bit cut off for some reason (personally, I don't care, but some might). The only major problem I have is that when you close the program (or your phone), it doesn't resume where you left off; it completely reboots each time. This is definitely a glitch, and will probably be fixed soon. However, I find that I personally play games in one sitting, not constantly texting and turning off my phone, so this isn't much of a problem for me.
There is already an UNO game on the Android Market by Gameloft, but this version is far superior. The graphics and interface are much smoother and better looking. Plus, this newer version has online multiplayer (who likes to play against computers anyway?). These two reasons make this game easily worth the extra two bucks. However, how do you even BUY this game? I was having problems downloading another Gameloft game (Modern Combat: Sandstorm), and they offered to send me an HD+ game of my choice. I remembered seeing UNO once on their website, but it is not there anymore, so I asked for it (I had all the other games anyway.). Surprisingly, they sent me the game, even though you can't even buy it online. So I guess the only way to buy it is to email them or something.
Overall, this game is great. There is lots to do in the single player and the online multiplayer is endless. The graphics are smooth, the music is great, and the menus are snappy. However, it is missing the key "resume" feature that every Android application has, which knocks it down a full point for me. If you are an UNO fan, even just a moderate fan, I recommend picking up this game. You are on your own for actually downloading it though!
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X (let's just call it HAWX) is a 3D airplane combat game. Throughout the game, you fight tanks, SAM sites, boats, planes, and more. There are 13 single player missions that last about 15-30 minutes each and a local multiplayer mode. The game has a lot of good elements, but some bad elements too.
The controls are pretty good. You can choose to either use accelerometer or virtual joystick controls for most maneuvers--barrel rolls to flips, and everything in between. To do small turns with your rudder, you press either the left or right arrow on the bottom of the screen. There are multiple attacks available at your disposal: missiles, machine guns, bombs, and more. The machine gun and flare buttons (use these to evade enemy missiles) are always displayed on screen, and you can scroll between the other attacks. You can change views between cockpit and out-of-plane modes, switch targets, and change your plane's speed on-screen too. The controls work well (I liked the joystick better, but different strokes for different folks.) despite one problem--there is NO multitouch. You can only press one thing on the screen at a time. This may sound like a game breaker, but it is not. The game isn't fast paced enough where you really need to press more than one button at a time. Once you get used to it, you realize the lack of multitouch really is not a problem at all.
The game is pretty long, but not as long as other Gameloft games. The story is actually great with fantastic voice acting, thrilling twists, and a satisfying ending. The levels are varied: from air assaults, to escorts, to stealth bombings, this game has it all. Each levels provides a unique and enjoyable experience. There are 26 real planes with different stats and unlockables. As you progress through the game (or get achievements), you unlock new planes and plane upgrades. Once you beat the single player, you can either replay the missions to hunt for the many achievements, or play against your friends via local multiplayer. This game will last as long as you want it to last.
The graphics are solid--I never saw any slowdown. The environments are beautiful, 3D, and are satellite images of real places (Los Angeles, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro, and more). One cool feature is the ability to follow your rocket or bomb until it impacts your target (like an on board camera)--this is a really neat feature. The sound is superb with jet engines, missile explosions, warning beeps, sonic booms (note: not actual sonic booms), and more. One glitch I encountered was after I paused the game, the plane's engine sounds would stop for the reminder of the mission (or until I died)--no biggie though. I had a huge problem on one level though. The game kept freezing during this one level every time I played it. Eventually, I just waited the freeze out, and the game recovered, allowing me to complete the level.
Overall, this game is a good buy. The graphics are sweet, the gameplay is a blast, and the story is well done. There are a few glitches here and there, the single player isn't that long, and the mutliplayer is local only. Despite these flaws, I still recommend this game; it is easily worth half of a movie ticket.
7.5/10
All of Gameloft's games are working on my HTC Incredible, except for Modern Combat: Sandstorm. It force closes, and leaves a notification on my phone saying my phone's memory is low. The only way to get rid of the notification is to completely delete the game. This might not be the game's problem though; it could be a glitch in my phone. I am looking into it with Gameloft right now. The game works on my dad's Droid, but he has an earlier version too (before they "fixed" it for Snapdragon processors).
These are all of the games I have played enough to confidently give them a fair review. I will continue to add reviews as I beat games. If you have any questions about any of these Gameloft games, don't hesitate to ask!
Post your own reviews of these games here too if you want!
Last edited by CheeseJam; July 14th, 2010 at 06:06 PM.
The Following 16 Users Say Thank You to CheeseJam For This Useful Post:
may be.. but you can double post no problem. or request mods to add your post at second position. Or just edit your second post. BTW.. It's really a great reviews.. Keep 'em coming.. there are other games too from gameloft.
may be.. but you can double post no problem. or request mods to add your post at second position. Or just edit your second post. BTW.. It's really a great reviews.. Keep 'em coming.. there are other games too from gameloft.
Yeah, I tested it, and there is a post limit. It's pretty big though, we'll see. I think I will probably need two posts eventually.
Thanks! I will post more reviews as I beat the games. I don't want to post full reviews until I have a good understanding of the game and its content.
Next review: NOVA, probably followed by HAWX, then we'll see what's after that!
Nice job on the reviews. Its good to see a place to read gameloft reviews for android phones. Especially since they are not in the marketplace.
I'm interested in all the reviews. But especially any experiences with Hero os Sparta and dungeon hunter. I think the old days of playing diablo may be back. But controls seem to be what make me nervous on touch screen phones.
Can you play NOVA (an FPS) game on incredible easily?
Yes, this is all done on a touch screen:
"NOVA is a first person shooter (FPS) with a hint of stealth, exploration, and puzzles. Most FPS's on touchscreens fail because the controls just plain suck. For NOVA, this is not the case (mostly). There are three control schemes, and two of them provide near perfect control of your character's moving, aiming, and shooting (The third wasn't working out, but with two good ones, who cares?). For my favorite control scheme, you move with a joystick on the left, shoot with the button on the right, and aim with anywhere else on the screen (You can also aim with the shoot button while shooting with an automatic weapon.). You touch the grenade button to throw grenades, the jump buttom to jump, and the stun button to stun (stuns the enemy for a bit at the expense of some of your shields). To reload, you click your weapon's icon, and to switch weapons, you can slide through the weapon icons."
So, I got an email back from Gameloft saying they are going to try to fix Modern Combat: Sandstorm, and they offered me a free HD+ game. Now, I have every game on their website already, but I noticed UNO online once, and now it is gone. I requested it, and they sent it to me! I posted my review in the original post. It is the same as the iPhone version and much different than the version on the Android Marketplace already. However, there is one huge bug: you can't resume play at all--the game reboots every time you exit (turn screen off, check a text, etc.) I don't know if this is why the game isn't for sale yet, but it is still a good game. If you want to buy it, try emailing them or something.
I might be able to beat and post a review of Hawx tomorrow--we'll see!
"NOVA is a first person shooter (FPS) with a hint of stealth, exploration, and puzzles. Most FPS's on touchscreens fail because the controls just plain suck. For NOVA, this is not the case (mostly). There are three control schemes, and two of them provide near perfect control of your character's moving, aiming, and shooting (The third wasn't working out, but with two good ones, who cares?). For my favorite control scheme, you move with a joystick on the left, shoot with the button on the right, and aim with anywhere else on the screen (You can also aim with the shoot button while shooting with an automatic weapon.). You touch the grenade button to throw grenades, the jump buttom to jump, and the stun button to stun (stuns the enemy for a bit at the expense of some of your shields). To reload, you click your weapon's icon, and to switch weapons, you can slide through the weapon icons."
Maybe that's why they aren't working through the market. They want full cut of the proceeds?
I think this is the reason, or maybe Google won't allow them on the market yet due to their glitchyness.
I added the Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X review. Heros of Sparta is probably next, followed by Gangster (could be a while though because I will be out of town for a few days).
i am sure i will get flogged for this, but i dont see a reason why people should get a refund. Ok...you buy a game...you dont like it...you eat the $5. Do some research before you buy the game, and make the choice based on what you read and learn on the internet. I can see why some of the high end people are afraid to develop games. Its high risk with the potential to get skunked by people who buy the game for a day then return for a refund. it doesnt make sense. If i buy a game at bestbuy, and i dont like it, i can not return it. the same should be said for the android market. we will all be better off and i personally think more people would take a chance and make more products for the os.
First off, all purchases from the Android market have a 24 hour refund policy. Consumers are now used to the idea of "trying before buying". This is one reason people get mad.
I think the other, and most important reason, is that some of these games don't work. When you buy an Xbox game, Microsoft guarantees (and checks) that it will work with your Xbox, or your money back. Google does no such thing with Android. There is no guarantee that a purchase will work with your, or any, phone, which is why they offer a 24 hour refund period. Now, some of Gameloft's games don't work on some phones, even when they are advertised that they do work. This is making people angry because they are buying games that are supposed to work, and don't. When Gameloft offers no refund, people get pissed.
Luckily, I provide reviews for you guys to help avoid these problems.
I was considering buying a Gameloft game (Let's Golf specifically) but then read this article. Ignoring the conspiracy stuff, one thing that worried me was the problems the author had reinstalling the game after a wipe. As someone who is now well into trying out different ROMs this might prove a barrier. Anyone got any reassuring words or is the author's experience common?
I was considering buying a Gameloft game (Let's Golf specifically) but then read this article. Ignoring the conspiracy stuff, one thing that worried me was the problems the author had reinstalling the game after a wipe. As someone who is now well into trying out different ROMs this might prove a barrier. Anyone got any reassuring words or is the author's experience common?
Don't purchase Let's Golf.. If you're from US and have a nexus one or EVO.. gameloft is giving free copy of it. Just checkout their site.
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i wanted to get nova for the droid x just now but when i go to buy it it only lets me pick the regular droid for a verizon smartphone. will it still work or should i wait for the droid x to show up on their site
Im new to this forum, just got my new SE X10i. As I'm in India, would I be able to buy these games and install on the X10i. Games looks gr8.. not availiable on the Market, so I guess only way is to buy them. but I don't see.. India option in there...
Has any1 already.. downloaded??
thnx
The Following User Says Thank You to jeetx10 For This Useful Post:
Im new to this forum, just got my new SE X10i. As I'm in India, would I be able to buy these games and install on the X10i. Games looks gr8.. not availiable on the Market, so I guess only way is to buy them. but I don't see.. India option in there...
Has any1 already.. downloaded??
thnx
These games are not available on android market. Please check your PM.
i wanted to get nova for the droid x just now but when i go to buy it it only lets me pick the regular droid for a verizon smartphone. will it still work or should i wait for the droid x to show up on their site
Yes it will work with your X. I just downloaded it on mine and I'm playing it now.
Can you still not reinstall games? I switch roms a lot and in the past I have not been able to redownload games or install from titanium backup.
You download the apk file from the purchase link, so can't you just keep the apk file afterwards as a backup, and reinstall from it as required? It certainly doesn't delete itself once installed...
Has anyone with an Incredible been able to purchase any of these games? The only option for Verizon I see is for the Droid. They have games for the EVO which is similar hardware, so why wouldn't the dinc be supported?
Has anyone with an Incredible been able to purchase any of these games? The only option for Verizon I see is for the Droid. They have games for the EVO which is similar hardware, so why wouldn't the dinc be supported?
Just choose the Droid. It works all the same.
I have NOVA on my Inc and it works great. Great FPS...for a touch screen phone.
Has anyone with an Incredible been able to purchase any of these games? The only option for Verizon I see is for the Droid. They have games for the EVO which is similar hardware, so why wouldn't the dinc be supported?
I went to gameloft's website through the Dinc's default browser and it showed the games that are compatible for the Dinc. Sadly, Modern Combat isn't one of them but Nova, Hero of Sparta and the Golf game work fine.
Gameloft Game Reviews
Let's Golf is similar to Hot Shots Golf; it is a cartoony golf simulator. The game comes with three full courses, and another half-assed nine hole course (three holes with three different tees each). The graphics are very solid. Each environment looks unique and beautiful. Also, the music is superb! Each course has a catchy tune that almost makes you lose your focus on the game. 
