Punch Quest: Raising (and Punching) The Bar

Not too long ago I heard about a game called Punch Quest which reminded me of the very good (and very free) Jetpack Joyride. Now months later, Punch Quest has hit the iOS App Store and has become one of the most addicting iPhone games I've played all year. Coincidentally, it's the first game I've really put through the paces on my iPhone 5, and the pair is insanely fast, clear, and colorful. In the midst of Hurricane Sandy, with internet service coming and going, and power threatening to shut down at any given moment, Punch Quest was a boon to my fingertips, helping me to avoid boredom.

Punch Quest is very simple really, you run endlessly and you have two buttons controlling your highly customizable avatar. Left button jumps and uppercuts, useful for platforming and attacking, right causes you to dash ahead and simultaneously throw a straight punch. As you further yourself along the game you gain increasing amounts of Punchos (in-game currency, great name for a cereal) to purchase and unlock loot (in-app purchases to buy more currency) and upgrades, both cosmetic and functional. Once I started unlocking more advanced techniques and learning what the ever-advancing stage was throwing at me - including multiple paths - I realized how complex this little game actually is. Once you begin perfectly stringing together 80+ hit combos while avoiding enemy attacks and pitfalls, it becomes more hardcore twitch platformer a la Super Meat Boy than casual Temple Run-and-jump, without alienating either fanbase.

+ Hardcore twitch-reflex action while remaining casual friendly
+ Tons of customization options (both cosmetic and functional)
+ Insanely addictive
+ iPhone 5 support (both portrait and landscape)
+ Free

I'm really struggling trying to think of some negative things to say about Punch Quest, but the reality is that there is little to nothing wrong with this rewarding, addictive, free and just plain enjoyable mobile title. RocketCat Games has taken the endless runner genre and has meticulously elevated it to the next level. The bar has been raised, iOS developers better start bringing the heat on their next sidescrolling runner (I'm looking at you Super Meat Boy iOS).

The Score: 9 outta 10 Blasters!

Bullet Points: Avengers Initiative

Hulk looks like he's having fun, but don't be fooled - he's wishing someone could kill him

Marvel knows a big thing when they have it, and honestly when it comes to their latest focus of movies, big things have been few and far between of late. Seems like any Marvel flick that doesn't feature Robert Downey Jr. is doomed for mediocrity. On the strength of Mr. Tony Stark and Joss Whedon, The Avengers has been absolutely steam-rolling everything from the box office to the BluRay, and everything in between. With a property which can do no wrong, Marvel Entertainment now attempt to conquer mobile gaming by way of Avengers Initiative, an Infinity Blade rip-off.

There have been quite a few Infinity Blade rip-offs of late, however most tend to put their own spin on things rather than straight re-skin the source material. In all honesty, that is exactly what Avengers Intitiative feels like, rather than its own experience. The game is set to unfold in four separate chapters spanning The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, where each chapter costs $7. As the Avengers' most powerful and volatile member, I was excited to see what The Hulk would be able to do, expecting building leaps, wall runs, limb ripping, and general chaos. What I received instead was a literal stroll down memory lane, using memories stolen from Chair Entertainment.

+ Infallable Infinity Blade gameplay
-  Uninspired re-skin of Infinity Blade
-  IAP fueled customization system
-  Sad excuse of a Hulk

The Avengers' Hulk was a quivering, snarling, white-hot bowl of gamma-irradiated terror. Hulk as he's presented in this title is more doctor than destroyer, casually walking up to enemies, waiting for the player to initiate the battle, then half-heartedly taunting before engaging in the repeated swing of fists. Give us the Hulk. Let us barrel through enemies like the unstoppable freight train the green guy is. We want to jump over mountains and gamma clap helicopters mid-flight. Avengers Initiative is a sad cash grab that deserves to be disrespected as Loki was at film's end. If the other chapters plan to be much the same as this, shame on you Marvel.

Bullet Points: Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta

When the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta dropped on PSN for PlayStation Plus users (see: everyone) last week, I cleared my schedule to assure I'd have time to spend with an early look at Naughty Dog's upcoming opus. While I thought I would take Drake and Sully against groups of human controlled mercenaries, in actuality the battle was against constant lag, frequent freezing, and frustrating system reboots. After hours of fruitless attempts, I gave up and my schedule viciously repopulated, leaving no time for treasure hunts and fragging. Though as the greater United States spent the weekend celebrating the independence of our country, I chose to celebrate the independence of my SIXAXIS controller from wires. With network integrity restored and a stable run of the beta queued up, I had an explosive time with Uncharted 3.

+ Deep: Several play modes offer great variation
+ Unlocking customization pieces is not as easy as ranking up
+ Active maps offer dynamic, cinematic action
+ Power Plays to assure no match is a lopsided blowout
+ Two player split screen and in game party system
+ Buddy system literally rewards team play
- Inability to change base clothing on Drake and Sully models
- Characters lacking Uncharted's signature personality

The beta is available to the entirety of PlayStation Network as of today, so why not give it a shot yourself? Though the retail release is still 4 months out, Naughty Dog has sculpted an enjoyable experience thus far. A little tweaking, a lot more weapons, boosters, and kickbacks, and we have what may be the sleeper multiplayer title of the year. And though I'd like to see more writing and personality in the multiplayer (of story characters specifically,) that wont make or break the game I'm sure to have in heavy rotation, even long after the campaign has been completed.

Bullet Points is a stripped down review of a stripped down release, usually in demo or beta. Why spend precious moments reading about what you should be out there playing?

Bullet Points: Crysis 2 Multiplayer Beta

All footage I've seen of Crysis 2's multiplayer in action led me to believe this was going to be the hot new title for online head-to-head this year. With Halo wrapped up for the time being, and the shaky ground Call of Duty has stood on recently, the door was opened for a new king of competitive multiplayer.

Two or three hours with the Crysis 2 beta leads me to believe it is truly that; a beta, not reflective of the final product. Hit boxes are off, lag persists, and good luck even connecting to a match. Odds are you'll run into more than a few host/server disconnects. The models look cheaply made, especially in death, where they ragdoll like five planks stuck together with one bent nail. Overall, the game feels unpolished. While the Manhattan rooftops are a great place to showcase a nanosuit's impressive array of skills, it's a bland representation of the fully rendered destroyed New York City locations Crytek has been using as a selling point.

+ Exciting, cinematic action
+ Hi-tech perks and abilities keep the pace high
+ Addictive, rewarding, multiplayer system (though not very original)
-  Unpolished
-  Unstable match connections, lag
-  Hit box areas appear off

I came away feeling like Crysis 2 is Modern Warfare with hi-tech abilities and perks, which isn't really a bad thing. It retains the CoD series' addictive and rewarding incentive based system. They've got some time to clean the damn thing up, and I hope they do, as it would suck to let so much promise go to waste. March 22nd is just around the corner, so Crytek will have to work fast.

Bullet Points: Bulletstorm Demo

I've been lambasting Bulletstorm from what seems like day one. Why, you ask? Well, the graphics and effects are amazing, the action is off the charts, and the skill/style based combat rewards creative fragging.

It all sounds good until the characters start running their mouths, and that's where it goes downhill for me. In one word summation, "dick tits". That's what the writers have sunk to. However during this incredibly fast paced, short-lived demo, the script was not on display, nor was the atrocious voice acting. It's all about killing with skill.

+ A bloody, adrenaline rush of a good time
+ 300 kickin' and beam whippin' lets you get creative with kills
-  Hero Grayson Hunt looks like Billy Ray Cyrus
-  Too much health, almost impossible to die
-  Way too short 

After playing the enthralling demo twice, (and watching my associate play through twice) I came away with a changed mind. I didn't think the action of Bulletstorm could be worth sitting through the rusty nails I was prepared to have forcefully kicked through my ears, but I may be eating some serious crow come February 22nd.