BB Rally Pro

I've always enjoyed Rally Racing simulation games.  On the consoles, the Dirt series has given me a lot of satisfaction.  On the Android, the only racing game that I've spent any real time with is Need for Speed Shift which isn't exactly an off road simulation.  When I was given the opportunity to review BB Rally Pro I was excited as I generally enjoy racing games.  Installation was a snap and doesn't take up a lot of space.  As a matter of fact, applications report it only takes up 168k of space.  The game fires up pretty quickly as it cycles through its boot loader screen.  Once inside the game you're treated to a cool menu with some neat background music.  If you sit and watch the intro screen for a moment you'll realize that what you're seeing is wire frame graphics that appear to be from the actual game.  There's even a car whizzing around the wire frame track, very cool, this would make for a neat screen saver too!

The options you are presented with include Play, High Scores and Credits.  Starting with the credits you'll see that this game was pretty much created by one guy.  His name, Byron.  He did the graphics, the software, the music, the works.  Pretty talented individual if you ask me.  Hitting the back button to head to the main menu and tapping the high scores shows you the top 5 lap times and the top 5 total times for each of the three included tracks.  These are all local scores so perhaps he'll incorporate global scores sooner or later but for now these will have to do.  I want to mention that even though it doesn't say so, from the main menu you can hit the menu button on your phone for a few more options.  These include Restart, Main Menu and Bonus.  The bonus section is what's cool here.  You can change the frame rate between Limited and Unlimited.  Change the gravity between Earth and Moon and even turn wire frame graphics on and off.  The only catch to these settings is that you'll have to beat the fastest lap times on each track to unlock them!

From the main menu if you choose Play you will be presented with a choice of three tracks.  Jumpy, Curvy and Flatty.  All pretty self explanatory but let me go into a bit more detail.  I started with flatty as I wanted to get a feel for the controls.  There are three difficulty levels which seem to simply dictate how the car handles.  Easy, Pro and Nuts.  Yeah, Nuts, that gives you rear wheel drive and makes it to be impossibly skiddy so if you want your car crazy then go there.  I chose Pro which seems to be a nice balance between easy and Nuts.  Once inside the game load times are almost instant on my HTC Incredible you are presented with a behind the car view which looks to me like a Volkswagen Rabbit or GTI like car.  It's white and while the graphics aren't anything that's going to blow your mind they look decent and clean.  sliding your finger in the middle of the screen lets you spin the view around the car.  The left side of the screen is filled with 3 large buttons, one for accelerate, one for decelerate and one for sliding (pulling the handbrake I guess).  The steering is handled by the accelerometer in your phone.  A timer immediately starts when you get into the game so you better mash that peddle and get to it.  Controls are pretty tight but the car can get a bit crazy at high speed.  On the right hand side of the screen are two buttons, one appears to make the car jump or even flip at times and the other is a reset if you go too far off the track.

As you're cruising around the track at high speeds it is quite easy to make a mistake by overcompensating the controls.  After some practice though you'll quickly make use of the hand brake to veer around the tight turns.  After a few laps on flatty I was able to get 3rd place on top five laps high score which was 01:04.83.  I feel I could easily shave another second off my time and get the top score but now it's time to try another track, this time Jumpy!  Jumpy changes the game quite a bit.  There are actual ramps on the track that you can use and the track itself has undulations, if you are not careful and use the gas and brake wisely the car will get out of control and end up rolling.  This forces you to reset and lose time.  After some practice I was able to drop 5th place on both top 5 and top five total times which I thought was pretty nice.  The interesting thing on this track was that a ghost car appeared.  Well, what I think was a ghost car, perhaps my best time, but not really a competitor as I was able to go right through the other car when I passed it, alas, no big crashes.  Maybe a future release will offer clipping?

The last track, curvy, to me was the most challenging.  I found myself actually turning my head as I moved the phone left and right to navigate the complicated course.  I must also mention that on all these courses there are other off road and interesting areas to explore.  As an example, the curvy track has a large bridge looking object in the middle of the track.  I haven't been able to successfully navigate it yet but perhaps it is a shortcut to an even faster time for the high score board?  The other tracks also have off road elements that give the player something to search for if they want to go exploring a bit.  The whole thing just comes off as fun but it's not without its flaws.

While playing the game I just felt that there is a bit more polish that's needed to the game.  For example, as I missed a turn on flatty and came barreling back onto the course, I ran into the barrier that is the edge of the track and thought I would just jump over it.  Instead, I got stuck in the wall and found that the only way to get out was to use the Menu>Restart function, at least now I know what that is for now.  Another thing I noticed was that occasionally you can see into the wire frame, almost as if there are missing parts of the track.  Finally the game has crashed on me a couple of times after several races reporting an error of "This device does not have enough Native Heap Textures".  To be fair this could be my particular hand set as I wasn't able to find others complaining about this issue.  If the developer wants more information about this problem I will certainly be happy to give it to him. 

I'm trying really hard not to be too critical because as I stated earlier the game is fun.  I found myself going back and messing around with it even after the review was finished which to me says a lot about the game.  I also checked on the reviews in the market and while it doesn't have a lot, the ones that it does have are very positive.  Most of the people just want more.  More tracks, more cars, multiplayer (at least AI) and maybe even a track editor.  The price of entry is a little steep at a current rate of $3.24.  I hope though that the developer keeps running with it.  My biggest positive was that it brought me back to my first days with Hard Drivin' by Atari which was a vector based racing game such as this.  If the developer added loops and bridge jumps and those sorts of things that Hard Drivin' had I think he would have a runaway hit on his hands.

As it stands you can grab the lite version which will give you one track and 3 laps.  It'll give you a feel for the entire game and may make you shell out the three bucks.  Like I said, I hope Bryon keeps adding to this game as I feel it has big potential.  I had some serious fun with it during the review, I just wanted more.  Go check it out!  I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Gurk (and Gurk II)

It was the mid-80s when Ultima IV hit my home computer. I had just started writing computer software to make a little money and purchased this game in part because I thought Ultima III looked and sounded (it had a great audio track) cool. And I played Ultima IV for months jotting little notes on wrinkled up scraps of paper to help me remember my quests, where nightshade (a spell ingredient, if I recall) was, and so forth. It was a game like no other with both a clear, linear goal and optional, open ended game play where I could wander the country side in search of fowl monsters to slay and precious gold if that was what I wanted to do. And that's the key to open ended game play. What do I want to do.


Gurk II



Fast forward to 2011 and sure, we've got some very impressive fantasy games that are technically superior in every way. Betheda's Oblivion and upcoming Sky Rim come to the front of my mind, but there's still something desirable about the simplicity of these older titles and that's what Gurk capitalizes on. Gurk is simple and it's meant to be simple. You control a party of three characters... a fighter, an archer (ranger), and a wizard. You cruise around slaying monsters, hoarding treasure, and growing stronger along the way. But I'm here to tell you that Gurk is a waste of time.

Because Gurk II is already available and it adds oh so much to the game including a $.99 price tag. Pay the $.99. Gurk is a nice, little demo, but Gurk II is where it's at with a pretty sound track, and quests... we have to have quests... Not sure you'll like this style of game? Go ahead and download Gurk to see. The core mechanics are pretty much identical as are the controls and it'll provide a nice little technical demo of what you'll get with Gurk II, but don't waste hours on it... get Gurk II.

In Gurk II you'll create a party by accepting or rejecting different fighter, ranger, and wizard type characters that are randomly generated for you. Once complete you start off in a small town. The typical ingredients for a town in this game are a store, a healer, and some people to visit. People may give you information or offer you quests to perform.

Gurk II touts itself as an 8-bit game and it maintains that look for better or for worse. I like retrogames, but I'm not going to try to convince you that all else being equal I'd rather have poorer graphics. Gurk II relies entirely on a simple touch screen based control pad for moving around, accessing your party, and doing everything else. Depending on where you're at the options on these buttons will change. Move onto a town space and entering the town will become a choice. Consequently moving around and game play in general is very fast and smooth. You can travel from one side of a continent to the other in seconds unless you are attacked by random monsters. Personally, I've never been a big fan of random monsters and this game has those in spades. You'll be walking through a forest or wandering a dungeon and 'blitz' with no option to retreat. That certainly makes the game more challenging as you have to ensure that you've always got enough left for another battle and that you don't stray too far from home.

Gurk II is a great, pocket adventure game and I don't want to dig into any quests or anything. I'll save those as an exercise for the reader. One nice thing, however, is that you can save at any time so it's easy to pull out and play for a few minutes if that's all you've got. Unless you just can't bear the idea of old school graphics or just don't like adventure games in general then for $.99 you'll want this. It's fast and it's fun. 4.5/5 stars.

Doodle Fit

Doodle Fit combines the overdone 'doodle' style of graphics with the well represented 'fit the pieces together' style of puzzle. Couple that with a lot of polish and we've got a nice little game on our hands.

Simple as pie... Doodle Fit is basically a tangram style of puzzle where you place tetris shaped object onto the predesigned pattern in attempt to exactly (no more, no less) cover all of its component squares once. As you can see in the screen shoot, there are several pieces below the puzzle and you can easily drag them to place them on the above shape. As you drag the game helpfully shades the squares that would be occupied by the piece if was dropped at the current location. Likewise, you can easily drag pieces off of the puzzle if you wish to start again.

Graphically the game is basic, but pleasing. It uses different colors to avoid a monotonous black and white look. And I believe its audio plays a major role in setting it over the top for me. In fact, last week I was at my doctor's office getting my blood pressure checked. I know I get white coat hypertension and I didn't want any problems so I turned to the game infeCCt primarily because of its calming sound track. I'm not sure Doodle Fit's soundtrack is calming... actually I'd say it makes me want to keep going. And the controls... they worked very well and I never had any problems getting that perfect placement. Plus, the game worked perfectly on both my tablet and my phone.

At first thought, I thought it was the audio that made this rehash of old gaming concepts a standout, but actually I think it's the smooth puzzle progression that really puts it over the top. The early levels are pretty easy with an occasional stumper. Then, as the game gets going, I can feel my brain at work. It's not all trial and error, but basic logic that tells me a given piece can't go in a given place. Typically I find myself working with the biggest piece first as often then can only fit in a handful of spots. From there I can eliminate spots based on not having the part to fill in the gaps. All in all, progression is very smooth and the game makes me want to play it.

Doodle Fit is available in both a free, trial version and a full version that costs a whole $1.50 (actually less). Obviously I'm hot for it. I also love the board game Ubongo and this is just like a solo version of that game. If spacial puzzle games are your thing then this one is a winner. If you're not sure then I'd recommend you still give it a try. This one is both simple and good. 4.5/5 stars.

Contract Killer

If you've been reading MeAndMyDroid.com for long you know that sniper games are high on my list when it comes to shooters. I much prefer the silent, strategic kill versus the frantic, running, and jumping kill. Contract Killer is all about the snipe...

Contract Killer, from Glu Mobile, is a sniping game turned RPG with a lot of story, the need to purchase and upgrade equipment, and it's not on rails (at least not entirely). You are given assignments that involve killing some kingpin at a known location in the city and perhaps some additional instructions such as the need to eliminate all of his henchmen as well. Multiple points will be highlighted on the map making it easy to find your destination, but also opening things up such as gathering information and finding new jobs.

Game controls are often the crux of success or failure in a sniping game. Contract Killer relies entirely on the touch screen. Once you click on a point in the city and choose to go there you will be positioned on a building overlooking a small section of the city. Touching/dragging on the touch screen allows you to pan your eyes looking for criminals. Once you've found a location you want to zoom in on with your rifle there's a button you click and you can continue to touch/drag to zone in on a 'soon to be' dead body. When targeting people the game will let you know who they are so as to help you avoid gunning down an innocent civilian. Then it's as simple as tapping fire. Depending on the scenario, your mission may then be complete or other enemies may scatter and start firing on you so you'll need quick reflexes and steady aim to avoid being filled with lead. You can also buy and use med packs to heal yourself.

The graphics and sound are solid and while the controls aren't perfect they do work pretty well. I'd have liked an option where the accelerometer would allow me to, at a minimum, fine tune my aim. As it is I have to click on one side to zoom in and then drag around followed by the other side to fire. Sometimes it feels more like I'm painting than sniping. And there are no options to adjust the controls.

As you kill your targets you earn money to buy new stuff from the store (which is another location on the map). And after playing for awhile the game starts becoming repetitive which makes the story line feel less like an adventure and more like an afterthought. The names of my victims and the places I am to travel get lost behind the arcade action of sniping.

The game also features a virtual money element (in addition to being ad supported) in which you can convert your real cash into money to buy in game items faster. I really don't see a need for that. What's the point in buying progress in a game? Are we supposed to just want to play it to progress? I'm also reading some claims that the 'real cash to virtual cash' is misleading and that eventually you HAVE to pay. I've played for about an hour or so and just started up again to verify my facts for this review and have not hit that point. I also don't really have any desire to do so.

Contract Killer is a well done game, but it feels like it's missing something to put it over the top. The controls could be a little more integrated and perhaps the missions a bit more varied if they really want the 'adventure' element to play a part in the game. Add some search and rescue... add some more variety. A game in which every mission comes down to killing a handful of people from similar looking roof tops probably should be left alone as just an arcade game. The game does have its shiny spots. Shooting the bad guys in the leg can allow them to limp off and escape your wrath, but all in all I'm just left wanting more. 3.5/5 stars.

Press Release: Puzzle Game “Domino Run” Released for Android

Dorset, UK, July 11th 2011 – Independent game developer Shiny Egg Studios announced today that its puzzle game “Domino Run” and the demo version “Domino Run Lite” have been released through Android Market. Launched on July 7th, the demo application has already received over 4,000 installs and given an average 4 out of 5 stars by users on Android Market.

Domino Run is a puzzle game where players rearrange dominoes on a series of platforms. The aim is to place the dominoes in the correct order and topple them all to win each level.

“We wanted to make a great game that's fun to play, easily accessible but still challenging enough to give the brain a bit of exercise at times,” said Steffen Engel, co-founder of Shiny Egg Studios. “Although there are a lot of games available for the Android market, we saw a domino-shaped gap and decided to fill it.”

Vibrant graphics take the player through three stylish worlds, from the Stone Age through the Mayan Jungle to the Pyramids. As the player progresses through the 70 levels, special domino types are introduced and the puzzles become increasingly challenging. Once the player has solved the levels, they can try to beat specific Aim Times and match the minimum moves to be rewarded with a 'medal' for that level. The free 'Lite' demo version of Domino Run includes a selection of 20 levels from the full version, but contained within a single world.

Domino Run is available for download now from Android Market for devices using version 2.1 or later, while releases for iOS and Windows Phone 7 are expected in the near future. The price of the full version is currently £1.43 (approximately $2.28 or €1.60). More information and screenshots of the game can be found on the Shiny Egg Studios website, shinyeggstudios.com.