Not long ago, I had the opportunity to write a fairly comprehensive roundup of this genre of hidden object games.  One of my favorite games in that roundup was The Mystery of the Crystal Portal from G5.  It was well written, challenging, and featured spectacular graphics.  My only problem with it was the end of the game, which really left you hanging off the edge of the cliff.  The point of the original game was to figure out how to activate the Crystal Portal in order to find your father.  The problem was: you find everything you need, activate the portal, step through…and that is it.  The game just ends there.  All that work to find out what is on the other side of the portal…and you never even get a glimpse.  what a letdown.

Fortunately, earlier this month, G5 released a follow up to the Crystal Portal game.  This one picks up right where the first installment ended, just as you are stepping through the portal to find the lost world of Atlantis.  In this game, once you have crossed through the portal, you have two overriding tasks to complete.  First, you must locate your father.  Then, with his help, figure out how to open a portal back home.  In the meantime, you will explore all of the many splendors of Atlantis.

Gameplay in this one is identical to the original game, which I thought worked extremely well.  Not only do you need to find the identified objects, first you must locate the “receptacle objects”.  Once these have been opened, they will tell you which objects to find.  You will need to find those objects and drag them into the receptacle.  Additionally, there are two new challenges at play here.  First, some of the objects are in pieces.  Before you can add them to the correct receptacle, you must repair or construct them.  Additionally, some receptacles cannot be completed without completing another receptacle first.  For example, one receptacle, when filled, might become or reveal an object which you will need to add to another receptacle.  By daisy chaining the objects like this, the game significantly adds to the challenge.  Toss in a few extra puzzles and challenges, and this is really an extremely well rounded game.

There are two here.  You can choose casual mode, which is more relaxing and allows quicker access to hints.   Advanced mode recharges the hint button much slower, and many hints are simply not available at all.  This mode is meant for advanced players looking for a challenge.  I liked the fact that these modes make the game accessible to both casual gamers and advanced players alike, however, I still felt the game was too short and easily finished…even in advanced mode. 

I absolutely loved this game.  While the changes from the original were subtle at times, they really added significantly to the challenge.  Plus…well,m G5 finally finished the story which was started in the first game in this series.  That alone is enough to make me happy.  I have really been extremely impressed by G5 lately.  With offerings like the Crystal Portal series, they are quickly becoming one of my favorite game developers on the iPad.

Check out The Crystal Portal 2 from G5 in the iTunes App Store for $6.99 on iPad and $4.99 on iPhone.  There is also a free version with limited gameplay.  While you are at it, check out the original Mystery of the Crystal Portal, which is now free for all iOS devices.

OK, SOLDIER!  LISTEN UP!  YOUR UNIT HAS BEEN DECIMATED.  YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE LEFT, AND YOUR POSITION HAS BEEN COMPRIMISED…BEHIND ENEMY LINES.  TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN AND GET READY TO START SHOOTING.  YOU HAVE A GUN AT YOUR DISPOSAL, HOPE THAT IS ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ONSLAUGHT…GOOD LUCK!

In Artillery Brigade, you are the sole remaining survivor in your camp, and you are surrounded by enemies.  At first they will come on foot, but soon they will come at you using any means at their disposal…jeeps, tanks, troop transports, and even planes.  Survive the early rounds, and you will be assigned to defend more difficult positions against larger and more deadly attacks.  There are a total of 16 different missions in the campaign mode, including the tutorial, which did a fantastic job of teaching you about the the enemies in the game, your weapons, and the controls.

To defend your position, you will have an assortment of guns, falling into three categories: machine guns, antiaircraft cannons, and rockets.   Within each category, you can also advance to bigger and better guns.  You will be awarded these guns as you progress through the game, or you can jump start the process by purchasing them with in-app purchases.  I am not a real fan of using real money to purchase in-game advancement.  But that is just me.

OK, so let’s take a look at how the game actually works.  In the past, these survival games used to involve a lot of running around.  I really enjoyed that because the ability to move and escape the onslaught (or at least try) added an extra element to the game.  This latest generation of the genre, however, has changed that.  Now, you are in a fixed position.  Sure, you can swivel your view in order to defend a complete 360 degrees.  This works well enough, but I still prefer the ability to run and evade the onslaught.  Speaking of that onslaught, unlike many games in this genre, there is no indication of how far along you are in a particular level.  It would be nice if they would add some kind of indicator on the screen showing how many more enemies you need to kill in order to complete the level.

Your view in the game is looking over the barrel of your gun.  A radar in the upper right corner will show you the oncoming enemies.  Just swipe your finger across the screen in order to aim at the oncoming enemies (the blue line under your funs will show how far the enemies have advanced toward your position).  Tap the big gray button on the left to start firing.  To quickly aim at the nearest enemy, tap the red button on the bottom of the screen to swivel your gun and instantly aim it at the advancing enemies.  Next to that is the zoom.  Slide the zoom in order to adjust your sights to a greater or lesser magnification.  This allows you to fire on enemies who may still be further away, before they can hit you.  If you are in a level with multiple weapons, those buttons on the left hand side will allow you to switch between them.

This game also connects with both Game Center and the Aurora Feint community, meaning there are plenty on achievements to attempt and online high scores.

I was really impressed by this game.  It had fantastic graphics and animation, and served as a unique addition to the survival genre.  The difficulty level of the game started on the easy end, but quickly increased as more powerful and skilled enemies were introduced.  I found this progress to be appropriate as the game maintained a challenge without becoming frustrating.   Simply put, using your guns to blow away some fairly realistic looking oncoming enemies, is just a perfect way to blow off some pent up hostility.   I have been a pretty big fan of Bulkypix games, but I have not seen them offer anything like this before.  You will waste countless hours decimating wave after wave of enemies with this one.

OK, SOLDIER!  YOU HAVE BEEN BRIEFED.  YOU KNOW YOUR MISSION.  NOW, GRAB A GUN, GET OUT THERE, AND START SLAGGING SOME ENEMIES!

Artillary Brigade is available from Bulkypix for the low, introductory price of $0.99.  It is a universal app, which will work on all iOS devices.

For many of you, this is an extremely stressful time of year.  The holidays are coming up, and you have no idea what to get that gadget geek nephew, cousin, uncle, brother, sister….or friend.  Fortunately, your friends at JAMM are here to help.  In today’s age of digital media, many of us store our photos, music libraries, even our videos on our computers.  Thy sure have come a long way since the “digital typewriters” I grew up with.  The problem with all of this today, is that too many computers come with hard drives which are simply not equipped to handle this barrage of digital media.  Even those which can store all of your content lock you into one location, making it difficult to access your media content from other computers. 

What you really need is a way to store your digital media in such a way that you can access it from anywhere.  Sure, you can store your media online, in one of the many cloud storage sites, but really, questions abound about security and privacy these days.  What you really need is a portable drive, and for that we can turn to Seagate and their latest line of portable GoFlex drives.

The GoFlex drives are the most portable drives to come out of Seagate’s labs.  Unlike previous generations of portable drives, the GoFlex drives feature a removable adaptor on the back, which can be replaced with a variety of connections.  This means the same drive can be quickly and easily connected to any USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, or FireWire connection.  In other words, no matter which variety of connection your computer features, there is a GoFlex adaptor to fit your needs (and it works just as well on Mac and Windows computers).

What really makes the Seagate GoFlex series of portable drives impressive, however, are their size.  The Goflex series features some of the largest storage options available in portable drives, as well as some of the skinniest drives out there.   Of course, I am talking about the massive storage space available in the world’s first 1.5 TB GoFlex ultra-portable drive (yes, I said terabyte).  It absolutely amazes me that these portable drives can hold so much.  I remember like yesterday when my computer had a whopping 40 MB hard drive, and that was considered enormous.  Today, hundreds of gigabytes is often not enough to cover our storage needs.  So, along comes Seagate nonchalantly offering multiple terabytes in a tiny portable drive.  They even found a way to slim it down, offering a standard 22mm drive, but also the ultra-skinny 14mm drive.

Rounding out the package is Seagate’s trademark backup software.  As most Seagate fans know, there is no need for CD-ROMs or other external discs.  All of the software is built right into your new Seagate drive.  So all you will need to do is plug it in and wait for the software to get started.  I took a look at this fantastic backup (and more) utility last summer.  You can read all about it, here.

As if this was not already the perfect gift for the techno-geek in your life, the GoFlex series of drives now include the ability to watch 20 preloaded movies (including the new Star Trek movie). Just register the drive and follow the instructions to start unlocking your movies (only Star Trek is free). 

In this age of digital media, storage is always going to be a premium.  Which is why the Seagate ultra-portable GoFlex drives are the perfect gift for geeks and technophobes alike.  They are skinny, small, portable, flexible, easy to use, and (frankly) can hold a ton (or a terabyte) of data.

The Seagate GoFlex drives are available from Seagate, and range in price from $60 to $230. 

Not long ago, the folks at Epic Games unveiled their Unreal gaming engine, and its promise of true three dimensional gameplay.  As proof of their concept, they unleashed the amazing looking Epic Citadel on the iOS world.  This is a medieval town…or ghost town more likely.  You can take a complete walking tour of the town, viewing the various structures from complete 360 degrees.  The problem was that was all you could do.  The citadel looked great, but it did not actually do anything more than leave you panting for more as it displayed a literal world of potential.

Earlier this weekend, at long last, Epic released their first game relying on the Unreal gaming engine.  Like the Citadel, Infinity Blade drops you into the middle of a gritty, three dimensional world, which you do not just pass through, but truly experience as you explore the grounds and structures of this world.  Unlike the Citadel, this game is populated…and much of this population is going to try to decapitate you violently (yet surprisingly bloodlessly).

The thing that impressed me the most about this game was how smooth the graphics and animation were.  I have played many games like this on iOS devices.  Often, they are extremely herky-jerky, with constant lags, jerks, and generally just rough animation.  This was not the case with Infinity Blade, which was so smooth, my boys asked repeatedly whether we were watching a video instead of playing a game.  This is, by far, the best graphics and animation I have ever seen on a mobile device.

OK.  So, what is Infinity Blade?  In short, it is an action game, in which you must battle your way through the horrific minions of the God-King as you pursue your birthright of defeating the God-King himself.  Now, I have to admit that I figured out this backstory pretty much from reading the description in iTunes.  It is a pretty flimsy backstory and is not well told at all in the game.  Hopefully, as the developers continue to add to this game, they will develop the story more, in order to give the game more purpose, beyond just defeating the baddies.

As you progress through the game, you will gain experience by mastering different weapons and equipment.  There was a really unique approach in this one, where each piece of equipment you were using in the battle earns experience until it is fully mastered.  After that, while you can continue using the weapon or equipment, you will not earn experience points from it.  This adds an extra level of planning to the game, as you must pay attention to which weapons will serve best in a particular situation, and save your more powerful weapons for later in the game.  Also, along the way, you will find treasure and other bonuses.  Collect this treasure in order to shop at the store, which you can visit at any time.

Which brings us to the failing of the game.  The world of Infinity Blade is actually infinitely small.  There is only one path along which to travel, and no real exploration to be done.  Essentially, those amazing graphics serve only to guide you from one battle to the next.  This game would be significantly better if there was truly a completely developed world or maze for you to explore, like the Citadel offered. 

Additionally, without spoiling any surprises, this is a game which takes place over the course of numerous generations.  If you fail to defeat the God-King, your powers and equipment will be transferred to your heirs, becoming their birthright (it is never quite explained how this actually happens).  The game then sends you back to the beginning of the same castle, roughly 20 years later.  Your heirs now stand in your place, prepared to storm the Dark Castle and the same legions of the God-King.  This all gave the game a Groundhog Day type feel as you stormed the same castle time and again (fortunately, the enemies do grow along with you, becoming more powerful and slightly more difficult to defeat).

With that out of the way, let’s get back to talking about what you do get for your money, and that is some truly incredible battles.  I absolutely loved the controls in these battles, which take full advantage of the iPad’s touchscreen and flexible multi-touch capabilities.  You will use a combination of taps and swipes in order to defend yourself against your enemies and even go on the offensive. 

I also loved the variety of weapons and equipment, with well over a dozen different swords, as well as armor, helmets, shields, and even magic rings to master.  Many of these items will also give you magic powers, such as draining extra energy, lightning strikes, or even healing.  I was also happy to see that Epic has already promised that more weapons and equipment will be coming in the next update (along with a whole new level to explore). 

I wanted to love this game.  I really did.  The graphics, animation, and controls are simply unmatched by any other game I have played on any mobile device.  I am just as excited by the potential of Epic’s Unreal gaming engine today as I was after exploring the world of Citadel.  Unfortunately, the limited storyline, and lack of any ability to really explore, along with the Groundhog Day repetition made this game feel like every bit a demonstration as the Citadel.   Whereas Citadel was a demonstration of the worlds they could create, Infinity Blade felt too much like a demonstration of the battles which could be conducted and controls which could be used with the Unreal gaming engine.  As such, I really did not feel Epic had quite reached a game which warranted the $5.99 price tag.  Still, Epic is really onto something with the Unreal gaming engine, and hopefully soon they will find a way to conduct the unlimited exploration of new worlds available in the Citadel with the battle sequences and controls of Infinity Blade.  Until then, I am perfectly happy to simply say that Epic has clearly developed a unique gaming experience with an incredible amount of potential, and I am really looking forward to seeing what they will be able to do with that potential as they continue to develop this engine in the future.   

I have been anxiously watching the category of devices which have optimistically dubbed themselves “iPad killers.”  This is a new category of tablet devices, running operating systems which are typically associated with mobile devices, such as WebOS and Android.  This is a major shift from previous tablet devices, which relied heavily on mutations and adaptations of desktop-based operating systems like Windows7.  The first such device I have had the opportunity to check out is the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab, which the folks at Sprint were nice enough to loan me in order to test. 

As I mentioned, the Galaxy Tab relies on the Android operating system, which we have reviewed on numerous occasions here at JAMM.  As such, I am not going to spend too much time on the operating system itself.   I will say, however, that if you are a fan of Android, then this will feel extremely familiar and comfortable…in fact, it felt exactly the same as its mobile phone counterpart.  Even to the point in which the apps in the marketplace were the same…the exact same apps, without even offering any optimization for the larger screen.  The result was that many apps on this device failed to really make use of the larger real estate offered by the seven inch screen.  Otherwise, the device felt to me a lot like a larger version of the HTC EVO, without the HTC SenseUI.  I have to admit  that I have never really been a fan of Android without the extra features offered by HTC’s SenseUI.  It just feels a bit too plain to me, so I was disappointed that Samsung did not do more to dress up the interface on this device.

We have already hinted at it a bit, but let’s go ahead and take a look at the size of this device.  The Galaxy Tab sports a seven inch screen, which puts it nearly exactly in the middle of a large cell phone, like the EVO, and the iPad.   At first glance, I was a bit wary of this screen, which made the device feel too large to be portable, but too small to be effective.  In other words, the perfect compromise which no one was really seeking.  After using it for a bit, however, I found the size of the device worked well for many purposes.  I still felt it was too small to be effective for more than the most basic reading or writing tasks.  Any would be iPad competitor has to be able to accomplish similar tasks such as word processing, ebook reading, and even blog posting.  While some apps do exist for these tasks on Android, I simply did not find the size of this device was well suited for them.   On the other hand, I found myself reaching for the Galaxy Tab more and more often for basic tasks, such as checking email and even looking up websites (though it did tend to default to the mobile versions of most sites). 

The biggest advantage of this device over the iPad and other tablets, was that this one will fit in your pocket.  It is probably the largest device which could fit, and I would not recommend it in a tight pocket like jeans, though it slid right into my cargo pants.

Speaking of the hardware, let’s go ahead and take a quick look around this device.  As is common in many devices, the face is smooth and flat, with no lip between the screen and the surrounding bezel.  This is great in terms of usability, but combine it with the smooth back and you end up with one slippery device.  I never really understood why these devices cannot utilize a more textured or rubberized back in order to make it a bit grippier. 

Back to the face, there are four hardware buttons beneath the screen.  These are also simple touch sensors rather than raised buttons.  This means there is no tactile feedback when you push one of them.  Still, the buttons are well thought, with the menu button, home button, back button, and search button.

The right side of the device (as you are looking at it) has the power button, volume controls, and microSD card.  I was really excited to find the microSD card slot, allowing you to add external memory to the device.  This is one of the biggest failings of the iPad.  I was disappointed, however, not to find a hardware button for the camera.  Fumbling to find the camera icon on the onscreen menus can be a bit tricky at times, especially when you are trying to capture that priceless spontaneous moment.

There is nothing on the left except the microphone.  Likewise, the top contains only a standard 3.5 inch earphone jack.  On the bottom are the speakers, as well as the sync/charge plug.  I was a but disappointed to find a proprietary plug, rather than a standard mini or micro USB.  This means the Galaxy Tab will require yet another cable to be carried around when you travel.

Like the iPad, the back of the device will not open, meaning you cannot replace or change the battery.  That being said, I had no problems with this battery.  I subjected it to my regular daily use, and even a bit more than that, and it lasted more than long enough with a single overnight charge.  Also on the back of the device, you will find the 3.2 megapixel camera.

Speaking of the camera, I found it worked abut as well as any camera I have used in a mobile device.  It will never seriously contend with my Canon camera…or my DXG camcorder.  In a pinch, though, it can handle both still photos and video with relative ease (you can see the results, above).  As I mentioned, it can be a bit cumbersome to find the camera app within the onscreen menus, so you may want to consider adding the icon to your homescreen.  Once you are in the app, however, the controls are relatively easy.  Just point and shoot.  There are some nice large buttons on the screen, giving you full control over the app.  Still, I was surprised not to find a digital zoom here.  Additionally, I was shocked that this device did not have a front facing camera.  With all the emphasis which has been placed, lately, on mobile video conferencing, it was a real surprise to find a device like this without such capabilities.

I have to say though, despite the nice screen size and resolution, I was not terribly impressed by the video watching experience on this one.  First, loading video onto the device is a real chore.  It brings to mind something our own Chris Spera said once about the dominance of the iPad: it is all about the environment.  Apple features iTunes.  Love it or hate it, iTunes offers an easy way to transfer properly formatted videos to your device.  Google does not offer anything like that.  Likewise, I found streaming video online also did not work well.  First, many services, such as Hulu and Netflix are not available on this device.  I was able to test the screen with YouTube, but was fairly disappointed by the poor video playback quality I found there.  On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab does feature Samsung’s media hub (above), which allows you to purchase or rent TV shows and movies which you can download to your device for subsequent viewing.  The nice thing about this one is that the library of available videos is regularly updated, meaning there is a fantastic mix of both classic content and new releases.  I was impressed, for example, to find quite a bit of new content which was not even available on Netflix yet.

Finally, the Galaxy Tab is connected to the Sprint network.  I was a little surprised to find that it was not 4G enabled, but it did connect to Sprint’s 3G network with no problems.  I have to admit that I appreciated having a device which is connected to a dedicated network.  My iPad is the wifi only version, and while this works well enough with the Sprint Overdrive 4G modem, there are a few drawbacks.  First, the Overdrive requires you to carry extra accessories, which the dedicated Sprint device would not require.  More importantly is the ability to connect anywhere.  I do not have wifi at work, and I cannot use my Overdrive in my office.  This means my iPad cannot connect to the Internet during the day.  The Galaxy Tab can connect directly to Sprint’s network anytime…even from my office.

In the end, I have to say that I was a little confused by the market which the Galaxy Tab was targeting.  It is not quite a direct competitor of the iPad, though it does fill many of the same functions.  Ultimately, if you are an Android fan, then you are probably going to appreciate the familiar look and feel of the device and interface.  Still, there are too many missing features for it to seriously contend with many of the latest devices hitting the market today.  The HTC Evo, for example, offers nearly all of these missing features, and is still connected to the Sprint network.  The lack of a front facing camera and 4G connectivity, for example, are significant setbacks for the Galaxy Tab.   I was hoping for more, and was disappointed not to find it.  In the end, the Galaxy Tab is little more than a large-screen version of any other  Android phone, with few advanced features, and nothing which really took advantage of the larger screen size or resolution. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is available from Sprint for $299.99 with a two year contract.