Order & Chaos: Online (5 Stars)

Would you like to play World of Warcraft on your Android phone or tablet?  Well you are in luck then as Gameloft has you covered.  Order & Chaos: Online is, for all intents and purposes, a clone of Blizzard's hit MMORPG.  From the art style to the play mechanics I truly felt like I was playing World of Warcraft on my rooted Nook Tablet.  To date there is no batter MMORPG on the Android platform.

As you first boot up O&C:O you are welcomed to a static screen showing an orc, undead, elf and human with background music that sounds like it was ripped straight from WoW.  Once the game checks for updates you are dumped into the character select screen where you can play a previously played character or create a brand new one.  You have a choice of five races; orc, human, elves, undead and the newly added Mendel race (they are like hairy blue gnomes).  All five races are able to be any of the four classes which are warrior, mage, monk and ranger.  All four classes seem to solo pretty well but I have only reached the low twenties with any character.

Quest wise this game is identical to WoW, right up to the exclamation point hovering over their heads.  Most quests are your run-of-the-mill kill/fetch quests but some are deeper and continue throughout all your levels of play.  Questing is fun and helps you can experience at a faster level than just going out and grinding on the mobs.

The graphics are very good, way better than I thought you would find on a table or phone.  You would swear you were playing an MMORPG on the PC.  The art is very similar to WoW with the hand drawn, cartoony look.  It fits the game very well and the animation moves perfectly with no stutter.  There are lots of nice effects with the magic spells and shadowing.  Again this is spectacular for a mobile game.

Like most games O&C: Online allows you do in-app purchases but it is limited to in game currency which is gold.  With the currency you can buy all your armor, weapons, spells etc.  There is another form of currency which you can also purchase called runes.  With runes you can purchase special items from a trader called Ubiquitous Nick.  Some of the items are temporary boots for attributes and experience, pets and materials for crafting.

Speaking of crafting it is almost up to par with what you would do in a PC MMORPG.  You have your choice of tailoring, leatherworking and blacksmithing.  As you build your skill you are able to craft better armor and weapons for your character.  To craft the best items in the game you have to attain a skill level of 500.

The cost of the game is a little more than the average game on Google Play but it is way more in depth than the average game also.  For $6.99 you get the full World of Warcraft experience on your tablet or phone.  The game no longer has a monthly fee after the last update so now there is no reason for you not to play this fantastic game.  This game is one of the best on the platform.

What hardware am I playing these games on ... a 16GB Nook Tablet rooted with a custom Jelly Bean 4.2.2!

Some have asked what system I was using to play the games on for comparison sake so I have updated the blog with the specs over on the right.  Just a quick rundown thought.  It is a rooted Nook Tablet with 16GB storage and full Android Jelly Bean, the original B&N software is completely gone.  This is a great tablet, it is fast and has played everything I have thrown at it.  I recommend it to anyone who has the knowledge to root it and make it a real tablet.

Grand Theft Auto III (5 Stars)

Now this is simply amazing.  This is a perfect re-creation of Grand Theft Auto III on Android with touch controls.  And the game works very well.  It is an amazing feat and show just how powerful of a gaming system an Android device is.

The first thing you will notice are the graphics.  To say they are spot on would be an understatement.  Now you can't compare this to the high end Grand Theft Auto IV but it is spot on for the Playstation 2 original.  The animation is fluid and there is no tearing or blurring as you move around.  If you would have told me in 2001 when Grand Theft Auto III was first released on the Playstation 2 that someday we would be playing this game on your phone I would have laughed at you and possibly ridiculed you.  These graphics shouldn't be possible on a phone but here you go.

The sound is just as impressive.  Everything is here from the speech, to all the sound effects to the best part ... the radio stations.  I remember the first time I picked this game up and found the talk channel I would just drive around to listen to it.  The commercials on the channels are hilarious also.  In my opinion the Grand Theft Auto Game with the best tunes was Vice City, which is pretty amazing to me since I really don't like 80's music.  It just fit with the game so well though.  The music in this game is spot on though and very fitting for the game. Just like the graphics the sound just amazes me that you can get this kind of quality out of a phone.  It just shows you how far our phones have come when they are as powerful as a Playstation 2.

If there was one part that does take getting used to is the controls.  Playing the game without physical buttons does take a little getting used to but once you do it is pretty natural.  Instead of just having a non-descriptive triangle, square, circle or "X" buttons they actually have icons on the screen.  For instance there is a brake and gas pedal, a fist and a door.  It makes it very easy to know what each button does instead of having to remember that the triangle opens doors etc.  Besides the gas and break buttons when driving there is just a left and right arrow so controlling the vehicle are very easy and intuitive.  

Everything is here from the sounds to the missions.  This is a fantastic re-creation of the Playstation 2 classic and is as much fun today on an Android device as it was 11 years ago.  My Android device is the Dell Streak 7 and this game is gorgeous on it.  If you pick this game up you will not be disappointed.

Reckless Getaway (3 Stars)

You have just robbed a bank and are trying to make a getaway but the cops are on your tail!  Can you lose them and make off with your cash?  That is all the story this game has and that is all you need.  Mindless car chases with lots of destruction.  How could you go wrong?

Graphically the game is sharp with nice detail on the cars and environment.   You play from a top down perspective behind the vehicle view which works really well for this game. You can lots of destructible objects like other cars, signs and traffic cones.  The 3D effect of the vehicles is very nice and you see it in full detail as the cars spin through the air as they crash. 

Your controls consist of a left and right arrow and a jump button.  That is all you need for insane action.  There are jumps into shortcuts and all means of ways to take out the cops.  The best thing to do is to let the cops miss you and crash into a wall, taking themselves out.  The controls are tight and fluid and allows fine control of your car.

The game is fun for a while but then it just starts to drag on as all you do is escape, which gets fairly quickly.  Thankfully you have one other mode called Wreckless.  Here you try to do as much damage as you can, just like in Burnout 3.  This mode is a blast to play and you might find you spend more time playing this than the getaway mode.

This is another one of the games I purchased for just .10 when then promo was going on, but even at it's normal price it is worth every penny.  I only gave the game three out of five stars because it does become boring after playing it for a while.  Maybe a sequel will give us more in the way of content.

Earth And Legend (4 Stars)

Earth And Legend is a really good game and one that shows off the power of the Streak very well.  It is a spiritual sequel to Dvide Arts earlier entry Crusade of Destiny.  Earth And Legend plays very similar to Crusade of Destiny but with a lot of updates that make the game more enjoyable.

First thing you will notice are the graphics as they are very well done.  Lots of detail in the environment and character models.  I was surprised how well the facial graphics are.  It really reminds me of the original Everquest with the graphic updates introduced with the Shadows of Luclin expansion.  The frame rate is very high, I would guess in the 50s as everything is silky smooth. There is a full day/night cycle and weather effects which really add to the experience.  Only some quests or mobs are available at certain times of the day so the time of day is important to finishing quests.  When raining you can both see and hear how hard it is coming down which adds to the atmosphere.

The sound is top notch with great sound effects and a pleasant soundtrack.  There is no voice over which I am thankful for as I have seen many a game hurt themselves because of corny voice acting.  I would rather read the text and leave their voice to my imagination.

There are lots of quests and most just follow in the traditional "fetch" style but there are some that move the story along.  You will be doing a lot of grinding to get your level up so you can continue with the quest but that is the norm in a traditional RPG.  Luckily you have lots of fighting styles you are able to utilize from hand to hand, to archery to magic.  You also are able to train a pet to fight alongside you.

If you are into RPGs then you will enjoy Earth And Legend.  It is fantastic to play on the go and is constructed so you can get in and out quickly and actually make some progress.

Great Little War Game (5 Stars)

Great Little War Game could not possibly be more perfectly titled as this war game is fantastic.  Not since Herzog Zwei on the Sega Genesis have I played a game with simple resource management (take over oil wells to get more funds to spend on troops) that is so much fun.  Let's take a closer look at this fantastic game.

The basis for the game is simple, two generals are battling it out along many different maps.  The game is played in rounds where you can build your army (ground troops, tanks, ships, helicopters etc.), move them along the map and attack if the enemy is within range.  Each round starts with funds being collected from all the oil wells that you control.  There are friendly, neutral and enemy oil wells scattered along the map and utilizing the engineer troop you are able to capture these oil wells which adds extra funds at the beginning of each round.  This is similar to capturing bases in Herzog Zwei and whoever controls the most oil wells have the advantage.  Once you capture an oil well you need to defend it or the enemy will come and take it over from you.  Luckily you have many different options for protected what is yours.

You have four ground troops available to you, all with different fighting styles.  The most basic troop is the Grunt.  He has an attack range of 1 to 2 hexagons and can attack infantry and vehicles but does no damage to airborne or ships.  The next unit is the Bazooka troop who also can only attack for 1 to 2 hexagons but can not attack airborne.  The Engineer is defenseless so you must protect him while he makes his way to enemy or neutral buildings so he can capture them.  The last troop, and the best, is the Sniper.  He can attack up to 3 hexagons away and will "one shot" infantry.  

Using the map to your advantage is important.  On level ground two soldiers of the same class will attack each other for the same amount of damage.  Get your soldier to higher ground and the advantage is yours.  For the island maps soldiers can only exit a carrier in designated landing areas so if you populate all those hexagons with your soldiers then no enemy soldiers can get on your island.  There are many strategies you can use to help you win the maps and experimenting is half the fun.

The visuals in this game are crisp and clean and work great for this style of game.  You can easily identify each class of soldier by their graphics without having to click on them for a description.  The animation is fluid as it should be in a game without non-stop action.  The maps are simple but nicely drawn with weather effects like rain and snow.  When a battle begins in zooms in on the action which is a nice touch.

The sound is minimal but is well done.  Your soldiers will make a snide comment whenever they take out and enemy troop and there is the sound of gun fire when the attacks happen.  The music is decent but I found myself turning it off and just focusing on the battle.  

The controls are fantastic and it is these types of games that work like magic with touch interfaces.  Touch a troop will allow you to target a nearby enemy or show you the make hexagon moves you can make in this round.  Manipulating your troops is easy and intuitive. 

This little war game is great and that makes it the most accurate title in gaming history.  I picked this up for just ten cents when the Android Market was having their "Ten Days of Ten Cents" sale but it definitely worth  the $2.99 asking price.  This game will supply you with hours of battle fun!

Shadowgun Review (4 Stars)

This is my first game review for my new Dell Streak 7 and what better game to begin with than Shadowgun.

This game is amazing visually. I never played Gears of War but graphically they look similar which is amazing. I was blown away the first time I launched this game and had to convince myself that I was really playing it on a tablet. The frame rate never stutters and is sharp and clear with lots of detail. Character and environment graphics are terrific. Graphically this game does not disappoint.

The sound is just as amazing as the visuals. I was surprised that the character were voiced and they were done well, not cheesy like some of the games I had heard on other portable devices. The music and sound effects are top notch too. The visuals and audio of this game pass with flying colors.

The controls work but are less than desirable. You move your character around with the left side of the screen and you aim with a circle on the right. Below that circle is the fire circle. You have to aim at a moving enemy then quickly move to the fire button. Leaving your finger on the button will continuously fire and if you move your finger around on that fire button you will move your sight around so you can continuously fire at the several enemies you might encounter at once. This isn't ideal as you will just spare bullets all over the screen as you move from one enemy to the next unless you switch back to just the aiming circle then back to fire. I found once I found enemies I would hunker down and fight them before moving on so if I could aim with my right hand and fire with a button on my left hand I would have been way more accurate. Now this just be me and others might not have any issues but I would rather be able to set up the firing myself instead of having to go with the default setup.

Overall this is a fantastic game which really shows off the Dell Streak 7's nVidia graphics power. I picked it up for $4.99 and was definitely worth it but if you keep your eyes open you might find it on sale. I can't wait to see what the sequel will be like since the first outing was so good.