Evony

Game: Evony

Publisher: Evony

Download or web based: Web

What you get if you pay: Game Coins can be purchased and used to buy a large variety of items to speed construction, increase gold or resource production, and boost hired heroes.

Review: Evony is a real-time Civilization style game. A military force must be developed after much research and building construction. Units vary from basic workers that are good for little more than carrying supplies to ballistas that hurl things at enemy defenses. The strength and availability of individual units depends on what buildings are present and what technologies have been discovered. Defenses can bee built from the city wall as it is upgraded. Simple traps, wooden barricades, and piles of stones to roll over attackers can all be used.

Resources like food, iron, stone, and lumber are collected from spaces outside the city walls yet still a part of the town itself. The number of possible collection points is dependent on the upgrade level of the town hall.

Additional cities can be built on empty “Flats” or conquering already established cities of enemies. If a player only has one city it cannot be conquered however. Plundering of someone's single city is possible though.

Community is very important as alliance members can be called upon for support when low on resources or under attack by a large enemy force.

For the first week new players are under “Beginner's Protection” which allows them time to get established without being attacked and their hard earned resources plundered.

Rating: 4/10 As the game progresses it takes more and more time to build and upgrade town constructions. This makes it less of a game and more like something that gets checked once or twice a day. I'm not an English major, but some of the text could use a much better translator.

Urban Rivals

Game: Urban Rivals

Publisher: Acute Mobile

Download or web based: Web-Based

What you get if you pay: You can purchase credits used to buy card packs.

Review: Urban Rivals is your basic digital trading card game. Like other TCG's players utilize character based cards to attack and defend themselves from single opponents. Unlike other TCG's the characters in this game gain experience in “battle” and can increase in level, increasing their attacks and abilities.

Battle is accomplished by challenging another player or accepting a challenge. Four cards from a deck are chosen at random. First a card is selected from the four. Then one selects the number of “pillz” to use on the character featured on the card. The “pillz” boost the characters attack power by multiplying the base strength by the number of “pillz” used. The number of “pillz” used is hidden from the opponent is hidden until they have selected their card and “pillz.” The two cards then attack each other, the victor doing damage to the loser's owner. The match is over after four rounds or if one player receives a total of 12 damage.

Urban Rivals has entertaining graphics when the cards engage and the “evolution” system for the cards is unique and encourages play to see what the characters will look like and how their abilities will grow.

Rating: 7/10 Fun to watch and play, but playing for hours on end can get a little tedious.