Photo Credits

I must admit I am very sceptical when some free stuff comes along – especially mobile games. Usually, the gameplay would be extremely lame and boring, or some cheap low grade animations and they flash some ad at you every five minutes or so.

So when I came across this mobile game called Droplets 2.0 by Ximad, that was being offered FREE on Windows Marketplace, I gave it a try without much expectations. Ihave to say this game totally blew me away…

First of all, it must have been specially designed for WVGA screens because it simply looked gorgeous on my Omnia 2. Throw in some soothing rainforest sounds, excellent graphics of the dew droplets and smooth user interface sliding of droplets, I have to admit this could be arguably one of the best games ever designed for touch screen mobile phones.

Now the overall objective of Droplets is to ‘fling’ the droplets on the screen on one another, eliminating one after another, until in the end ONE droplet is left. Sounds easy? Think again. It can become quite challenging in the more advanced stages where more and more droplets come your way. To make it more challenging, version 2.0 comes with two additional features – an ‘Eight-ball’ droplet, where it has to be the last droplet remaining, and ‘Ladybugs’, which could be placed anywhere on the screen where it blocks the path of any droplet.

In essence, Droplets 2.0 is a strategic thinking game that challenges you to work your brains out to think several steps ahead to solve the problem. It is certainly addictive and with more than 300 levels thrown in, it will be some time before you ‘d want to change this game.

Photo Credits

Mobile Requirements: Touch Screen WVGA Phone, supports Android and Windows Mobile 6.5 and above

Droplets 2.0
Graphics & Sound
Beautiful graphics and suitable rainforest sounds!
Gameplay
Excellent strategic thinking levels to work out your brain cells!
Replayability
More than 300 challenging levels provided. May bore some people who get stuck but definitely replayable for weeks, maybe months!
Difficulty
Every level presents a new challenge and with introduction of the 8-ball and ladybug, things just got tougher..
Price
Free download on Windows Marketplace!

Overall
Addictive, challenging strategic game that looks incredibly gorgeous on WVGA screens

What game is it? Assassin’s Creed II (Mobile version)

Developer: Gameloft

Type: 2D Platform arcade

Synopsis from Gameloft.com website:

Renaissance Italy, 1486. Ezio, the son of Florentine nobles, seeks vengeance for his family name that has been tainted by the powerful and corrupted families of Italy. Assassin’s Creed II is an epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of Renaissance Italy. This sequel retains the core gameplay experience that made the first opus a resounding success and features new experiences that will surprise and challenge players.

Admittedly, platform arcade games aren’t really my cup of tea. The only notable ones that I enjoy are really dinosaur classics like Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Lode Runner, Astro Boy, Prince of Persia, Vikings, etc. Personally, I prefer word and puzzle games more.

However, I was totally hooked into this gem from Gameloft that worked perfectly on my Omnia 2, especially since the game can be viewed horizontally – whew! Although it comes only in 2D format, the graphics aren’t really bad at all. Movement is enabled thru a virtual keypad on the bottom left whilst the action buttons (attack, climb, weapon) can be found on the bottom right. The only complaint here is probably the sensitivity of the virtual keypad can be frustrating at times. I guess nothing beats the good ol’ joystick and colored buttons!

In terms of playability, Assassin’s Creed II offers varied challenges that kept me excited throughout. For example, you do not get to keep running on rooftops all day long. You get challenging levels of jumping on moving carriages, flying and bombing boats, swinging from sticks jutting out from the walls, patience crawling across masquerade parties (serious!) and chasing speedboats (of course!). Apart from the trusty blade, the game also offers a wide variety of weapons that has its uses at some point of time in the course of the game. They include the spear, boomerang, grappling chain hook and pistol (classic version that takes forever to reload!! realistic!!)

Another thing I liked about the game is that it autosaves in respectable levels that you have difficulties in passing. This certainly helps in reducing the stress of not having to start ALL OVER again when you fail at some stage in the game. There are about 9-10 levels in total, each level ending with a particular assassination that has to be completed as the story narrative takes you along your revenge mission. Simple plot with plenty of gore and action along the way. Cool!

The developers have also made ‘silent kills’ to score more points. This certainly makes the game more believable and requires some strategic planning (I like!) instead of just having the main character hacking and slashing his way to the end. Of course, one area I felt that could have been improved would be the inclusion of more logic puzzles, perhaps to unlock the chained doors and gates.

All in all, this is one mobile game that is really exciting to play and is addictive enough to keep you entertained till you finish it. Highly recommended. Here are some screenshots, all taken from Gameloft.com website:

hanging tough!

flying bomber? cool!!

swordfights on moving boats..

sneaking through a party!

silent kills....shhhhh...

Overall Rating: