Experts Online

10 for 9 in '08 - Skyforce Reloaded (the oops edition)

Eric Pankoke — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:17:22 +0000

It turns out that I inadvertently left out the category of Scrolling Shooters when I made all of the posts for this article. Unfortunately, my favorite scrolling shooter for the PocketPC didn't actually get nominated this year, which I suppose was my fault. In lieu of that the clear pick was Skyforce Reloaded, which was still a very good game in this genre.

Skyforce Reloaded

Can You Dig It? - A Review Of Glyph

Eric Pankoke — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:43:48 +0000

Astraware certainly has a knack for bringing the right puzzle games to mobile platforms - anyone heard of a little gem called Bejeweled? However, as far as their relationship with Binoteq and Sandlot Games is concerned, the quality of products hasn't been quite so uniform. Thankfully, Glyph falls happily on the positive side of the unbalanced scale. Part Jawbreaker, part "uncover the picture", and part Simon Says, Glyph is a unique combination of sub-genres that blend together to make a fun and interesting game.

10 for 9 in '08 - Through Enemy Eyes

Eric Pankoke — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:39:07 +0000

We've come to the end of the year, and I've come to the end of this article. The last category I judged for was Top-down (maze) Puzzle. Through Enemy Eyes was really more than that, but even had it not been, it was by far the best game in this category.

About half way through this series I realized that I hadn't provided any links for the games I've been talking about, so here are the web pages for the developers of all of this fine software. Maybe you should treat yourself to a New Year's present and pick up one of these games. Enjoy!

Fly Away - A Quick Look At Butterfly

Eric Pankoke — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:30:11 +0000

If you're not familiar with it, I highly recommend checking out the monthly article The Arcade. It is thanks to this article that I've discovered a number of rather interesting freeware games, including the subject of this article, Butterfly.

10 for 9 in '08 - Spb Air Islands

Eric Pankoke — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:21:55 +0000

Well, I'm almost done with this series. This entry marks game number nine of ten, and the category is strategy. In my mind Spb Air Islands was the clear winner, primarily due to its unique mode of resource management. Without further ado, here are my favorite points about Spb Air Islands.

10 for 9 in '08 - Boneyboy

Eric Pankoke — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:10:47 +0000

I've tried any platform game I could get my hands on for the PocketPC platform, and up until Archibald's Adventures which was released a few days ago (you can read my review here), nothing has really stood out from the pack. However, of the ones that made it into the list of Jump & Run Scrollers for this year's awards, Boneyboy was definitely my favorite.

Are You Smarter Than A Travel Genius?

Eric Pankoke — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:08:53 +0000

HeroCraft has quickly become one of my favorite mobile phone developers. I can't say that I've liked everything they've done, but I admire the fact that they've developed such a diverse range of products. They also have a knack for putting their own spin on a classic style of gaming. Whether you're playing the laser-and-mirrors update Robo, the stylish Ball Rush Aqua that proved there was more to be done with Breakout clones, or the unique strategy game Gone In 60 Seconds, it's clear that HeroCraft purposes in their mind to bring you a different experience with each game t

10 for 9 in '08 - Obulis: The Second Epoch

Eric Pankoke — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:58:30 +0000

For puzzle games, my top pick was Obulis: The Second Epoch. To be truthful, this could almost go to either part one or two, it just happens that part two was the one nominated for the awards this year. Some of the puzzle design was a bit better in part two, but if you haven't played either, it's definitely worth your time playing both.

10 for 9 in '08 - Meltdown

Eric Pankoke — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:11:15 +0000

In the category of Non Run & Jump Shooters, Meltdown reigned supreme. Meltdown is a very addictive game that can be played with one button. While most timed games annoy me, Meltdown integrated it into the story in such a way that it compels you to complete the levels. The level design and pacing was also done in such a way that you get satisfaction out of completing a level. The graphics in Meltdown are great. All the animated foreground elements look really good, and while not spectacular, the multi-layered background of pipes continually caught my eye.

10 for 9 in '08 - Bejeweled 2

Eric Pankoke — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:51:09 +0000

I guess I need to speed this series up if I want it to be all about '08 :) At any rate, for the category of Color Matching games, there really was no contest. While there may have been some innovations to the genre since it's release, Bejeweled 2 is still the most captivating game in this group. Clearly the general populace agrees, as it continues to appear at the top of the charts on Astraware's best sellers list. Bellow are a couple of reasons that I put it at the top of mine.

Bejeweled 2 is my favorite “color matching” game.