IPHONE GAME REVIEW
Sentinel 2: Earth DefenseAll queued up with nowhere to go |
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Product: Sentinel 2: Earth Defense
| Developer: Origin8
| Format: iPhone
| Genre: Strategy
| Players: 1
| Networking: wireless (network)
| Version: US
| App version: 1.0
Despite having the intelligence to conceive of massive spaceships capable of traversing the expanse of space, the stupidity of marching single file into a line of defensive towers is completely lost on would-be alien invaders. It's a good thing, too, because while they threaten us with weapons of incalculable technological sophistication, we can humiliate them like third graders queueing up for a lice inspection in Sentinel 2: Earth Defense.
Your job is to plunk down towers along the edges of winding pathways to keep these alien aggressors at bay. A four-mission campaign brings dozens of waves of insectoid enemies face-to-face with seven different towers, including laser turrets, bombs, and devastating snipers.
Each of the four maps precisely fills the screen, though you can zoom in and out using multi-touch to position and upgrade your defences or simply to get a closer look at the action.
The graphics pop with detail, even if the actual paths through each map don't. It's difficult to delineate where the paths winding across the screen are until the first wave of enemies trundles by.
A stylish interface contributes visual flair and ensures intuitive play. Icons lining the bottom of the screen are used to situate towers onto the map with a slide of a finger. Upgrades - a total of three levels available per individual tower - can be purchased using resources with a tap directly on the tower.
Saving funds for upgrades yields better results than doling out cash to builds a smorgasbord of towers. Sentinel 2 aims for variety with its slate of towers, yet the game's balancing obviates building more than just a few types. Levelling up a few basic laser turrets and setting down a powerful beam or sniper tower are enough to deal with most challenges.
Special attacks launched from an orbiting capital ship introduce an inventive element, though these often prove unnecessary during the course of the campaign.
Most waves are defeated using a simple upgraded arsenal and taking advantage of barriers that hold back enemies at specific junctions. These walls, which automatically fire on any nearby enemy, can even be repaired by purchasing drones.
As though aware of the limited scope of its campaign, Sentinel 2 broadens its appeal with a set of objective-based missions and an endless Endurance mode.
The former present specific situations that require you to exploit each of the various towers, special attacks, and test your tactical prowess. One mission starts you off with no resources and tasks you with defeating enemies using only orbital ship attacks. Another requires killing a super strong alien with a shockingly small amount of money.
Endurance mode does less to encourage tactical variety, though its never-ending waves do allow more experimentation than the main campaign.
The replay value here is unquestionable, especially when accounting for four levels of difficulty in both Endurance mode and the main campaign. Additionally, achievements tied to OpenFeint are sure to keep you coming back.
Sentinel 2 provides good gameplay and great value, even if it doesn't seize its full potential. Tactical variety could be improved by pronouncing the differences among enemies and towers to a greater extent. These distinctions exist, however understated. None of this puts a permanent damper, though, on what is a fun, immensely playable game.
Sentinel 2: Earth Defense |
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Sentinel 2 stays down to Earth with its approachable brand of tower defence gameplay that needs a couple improvements to go from good to out of this world
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DirtyDave | 30 June 2009
Crackin'.. Does it all good and then some. Buy it!
Joined:
Feb 2009
Post count:
261
I'm going to use this as an example of PG's bias towards big companies. This game has everything that StarDefense has and more! It has OpenFeint connectivity, achievements, innovative gameplay, equally impressive visuals and some very unique elements that no other TD game can boast of. I'm not having a go at Star Defense, because I think it's superb, but this game is at least on a par with it. Having more towers, repair drones, more upgrade levels and features just doesn't make it a 9 in PG's books. I'm not really sure what they could have done to make this game better except maybe add more maps. The strategic depth of this game with the interest system is miles beyond that of StarDefense or Fieldrunners.
Joined:
Apr 2009
Post count:
153
Camzy, you missed two important criticisms in the review: "the game's balancing obviates building more than just a few types." Secondly, "It's difficult to delineate where the paths winding across the screen are."
So, no, it's not as good as Star Defense.
Additionally, where are you getting that we have a bias toward big companies? Have you forgotten about all of the indie games we've reviewed like Zen Bound, which we awarded a platinum medal? What about Tower Madness or Harbor Master or Trism? All great indie games that we covered and to which we awarded solid scores.
I'm more than happy to debate our coverage with you, but you need to have evidence to back up your arguments.
Joined:
Feb 2009
Post count:
261
I do have evidence that Sentinel 2 is at least on a par with Star Defense. The paths are not difficult to delineate in my opinion, the towers could use a little balance, but it doesn't really take away from the game. There are also many more perks than StarDefense. Star Defense is really a basic TD that adds very little to the genre. It's just overlayed with excessive polish and graphics. 5 towers only? Star defense really doesn't have much gameplay depth. The planets are beautiful and fun to play, but 5 towers and only 1 mode of play (fixed path and waves) just isn't enough for its title as the best TD on the market.
Zen Bound was a Chillingo release so it hardly counts as an indie game. It could have been released by ngmoco:) until they pulled out (what a bad move that was!) Trism was so good that you couldn't justify giving it a lower score and at the time of review, it was so far ahead of competition that it merited a gold award. In the end, it comes down to opinions, and in a field where the big companies are going to eat the small ones, review sites could at least provide more coverage to indie games. What about the new RTS with multiplayer Quantum Collapse? What about the Battle of Pirate Bay?
You probably have a strict rule on what games you're allowed to review, and I wonder which games those are :(
Joined:
Apr 2009
Post count:
153
Actually, Camzy, I personally make all the decisions regarding what games we review. Once again, where is the evidence that we don't review indie games? Did you not see CrossRoad? What about synthPond? How about 2079? 1112, Episode 1?
You're making a blanket argument using selective evidence that is simply false. We can differ in our opinions regarding if a game is good or not. Fair enough. Do not, however, preach about how we favour big companies because it's patently untrue.
And furthermore, Battle of Pirate Bay is being worked on AND it's developed by Muteki who did Topple.
Joined:
Feb 2009
Post count:
261
Can we request what games we would like to be reviewed?
bigtruckseries@epinions | 3 January 2010
After playing the first Sentinel, I see no reason to spend $4 to buy Sentinel 2.
The biggest problem I have with the game is that the difficulty ramps up really fast on Medium mode (not to mention the later HARD and PSYCHO modes) and at a certain point it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to fend off attacks
Here's a question... why can't we save up money and buy a new STRUCTURE to replace a barrier that's been destroyed so as to slow down the swarms?
How is it that the Warrior aliens can take so much damage? I think getting shot point blank by an ion cannon should cause some type of fight or flight mechanism that sends you back where you came fast.
These aliens simply take the bullets like Al Pacino in Scarface.
