PixlBit

Spring is in full force, and so are my game reviews!  Here’s another batch of them I’ve recently written over at GamerDad.com.  Please click on the links and read as many as you can and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d really appreciate it.  OK let’s begin.

Bridge Constructor Portal (PS4)

Last year Headup Games released Bridge Constructor, which didn’t interest me at all.  Until that is, they announced they were making a version of it with Portal elements and characters.  I love, love, love me some Portal, so I suddenly became interested!  Luckily I got to review both the original Bridge Constructor and the Portal one.  You saw the review of the original game last time I did one of these blogs, so here’s the one for the Portal version.  It’s pretty much the same kind of game except now you have to deal with Portal related puzzle elements, like, well, portals and turrets and such.  And GlaDOS even chimes in every now and then, especially during the tutorials, to show you how to play and/or mock you.  It’s hilarious.  I only wish they could’ve gotten the voice of Wheatley to be in the game as well, and I would’ve been encouraged to beat the game faster if GlaDOS sang a song in the end credits, but neither of those things happen.  But the developers told me at PAX South that if they did that, it would’ve cost too much money in licensing, which I can understand.  This isn’t a triple A game after all (nothing wrong with that, though).  But regardless, Bridge Constructor Portal will still get a spot on my Game of the Year awards list.

Jurassic World Pinball (PS4)

Pinball FX3’s latest table entry is based on Jurassic World.  They certainly used the move license much better here than they did with their other Universal tables, at least.  You actually get not one, but three different tables in this pack.  There’s a table based on Jurassic World, one based on the original Jurassic Park movie, and one called Jurassic Park: Pinball Mayhem that I’m not sure what it’s based on, but it seems to feature more dinosaurs than anything.  I don’t think the Jurassic Park table is based on the real arcade pinball machine, though.  But if you like pinball, dinosaurs, and the Jurassic Park movies, you may want to check these out.

Gunnar Computer Eyewear

Every year when I got to PAX, I always see these guys at a booth and since I’ve been blind in my left eye since birth, I’m always interested in learning about ways to protect what vision I have left while gaming.  But I felt their glasses were too expensive to buy, so I always wanted to review them instead.  And that FINALLY happened on my last PAX trip.  So here is my review of the glasses they sent me.

Dissembler (iPad)

This is a really good, simple puzzle game for mobile.  It costs about 3 bucks, which is a little high for what you get, but at least you don’t have to worry about in-game ads and such.  I liked this game so much, I bought it on my mom’s iPad so she could play it, too.  So if you like to play simple, relaxing puzzle games on your phone or tablet, I recommend this one.

ChronoBlade (iPad)

This is a side scrolling beat ‘em up, like Golden Axe, tailor made for mobile devices.  It has some of the best graphics I’ve seen on mobile and I like the character designs (my favorite is Thera the Amazon spear wielder), but the short time limit in the levels ended my enjoyment of the game faster than I thought it would.  The cool thing is that the people who made this game sent me an actual full color printed instruction booklet for the game to help promote it, which is cool since these kinds of games never get instruction booklets anyway. 

Joe Jump: Impossible Quest (iPad)

Yet another mobile continuous runner.  This time you’re a lumberjack (and that’s ok) and you can throw axes to clear out obstacles.  It kind of reminds me of how Master Higgins throws axes in the Adventure Island games.  The reason why this is called “Impossible Quest” is that the game is really, really hard.  So much so that it’s not much fun.  Even the tutorial is tough to get through!

Bouncy Smash (iPad)

This is an arcade style game that reminds me of a cross between two arcade classics: Joust and Buster Bros.  You are a blue bouncy ball with eyes and must hop on other bouncy balls from above to destroy them.  But since you’re always bouncing, it’s hard to control.

Reader Review: Tokyo Xanadu EX+ (PS4)

And finally, last year I reviewed Tokyo Xanadu on the Vita, and one of my brothers showed some interest in the game, so when I got a code for the PS4 version, I let him review it.  So read the review that my brother wrote, gosh darn it!

And that’s all for now.  Thanks for reading and posting likes and comments.  I really do appreciate it!  Later!  --Cary