In this series of articles we’ll be looking at one or more of either the latest or, at the very least, most popular mobile games out on the market. By mobile, we mean the games available for smartphones and tablets available through the Apple App Store or Google Play or other similar services. Basically, if it’s a game and it’s available on a device that’s not specifically made for gaming only, we’ll consider it.
We’re going to look at everything from free-to-play games to ports of classic titles and more. We’ll do our best to feature games both from the large, well-known studios and the little guys looking to make a name for themselves. We’ll consider all manner of aspects – the originality of the game, how reasonably priced the in-game content is, are there in-game advertisements and how distracting are they and more. We’re more concerned with highlighting games we think you’ll like but, if there’s a high-profile title making the rounds, we’ll let you know if we think it’s worth your time or not.
With that out-of-the-way, let’s take a look at the first two titles on our agenda: Gameloft and Marvel’s Spider-Man Unlimited and Wonder People’s ridiculously silly and ridiculously fun KittenTaxi,
Spider-Man Unlimited
If you’ve played Temple Run or any of the dozens of other games that have emulated it, you’ll have no problem picking up this latest action platformer featuring Marvel’s flagship super hero. The derivative nature of the gameplay isn’t a negative in this case, however. Mobile games are meant to be easy to jump into and go as they’re meant to be played while on the crapper or on the train to work. That being said, Gameloft has packed quite a lot behind this little title, with fun stuff for casual gamers to die-hard Spidey fans.
In Unlimited, a tear has opened in-between parallel universes, causing multiple versions of the Green Goblin to invade the “real” universe in search of a mysterious element that will allow them to blah blah blah you stopped caring halfway through that sentence. Anyway, Spidey gets the smart idea that if there are multiple Goblins running around, there have to be alternate versions of himself, as well. Thus opens up a multitude of Spider-Men from comics and gaming lore to choose from. From Ultimate Spider-Man to Spider-Man 2099 to Manga Spider-Man to the time Spidey donned a Fantastic Four uniform and a paper bag for a mask. Each version has different attributes to bring into the game modes and can be upgraded along the way.
Players have a limited amount of attempts on the various game levels before they either need to purchase more or wait for a certain amount of time to pass. The same goes with the collectibles needed to “buy” some of the rarer versions of Spidey. The game does include weekly competitions in which gaining higher and higher scores earns players in-game “prizes”, but unless you plan on being extremely patient, you’re going to have to drop a few bucks to advance.
If you’re looking for a Marvel experience to sink your teeth into, Unlimited may be a little too rich for your blood. If all you want is a chaotic run, dodge and punch adventure you can fire up to kill some time, it’s a lot of fun, whether you’re a fan of the Web Head or not.
Kitten Taxi
We now switch gaming perspectives with Kitten Taxi. While Umlimited follows Spider-Man from behind as he charges across the rooftops of New York City, Taxi follows the action from the front. A couple of cats have robbed a bank and are being chased by all sorts of law enforcement vehicles. Your job is to simple move the getaway car from left to right while your cat partner in crime fires away at your pursuers with a multitude of weapons.
I’m a big fan of the less-is-more aesthetic when it comes to mobile games. Taxi‘s graphics look like sketch drawings – as if the pencil sketches of a comic book page have come to life on their own. This gives the game visuals that are fun, with details that pop from the screen, while not putting a lot of wear and tear on your phone or tablet’s processor. Besides, how realistic do you want a cat firing a machine gun out of a Buick while chomping on a stogie to look, anyway?
Like Unlimited, Taxi gives you a certain number of plays before you either need to let some time pass or buy more. However, each level has a set ending and if you complete a level, you don’t lose a try. There are also coins to be purchased to upgrade your weapons and car if you’re impatient, but you can play a good long while and have lots of fun without feeling like you need to spend your real world coin on it.
What mobile games have you been rocking out to lately? Let us know below.