Sharknado: The Video Game
Above: This screen sums up both the game and the movie pretty well.
How does it tie into Sharknado 2: The Second One?
OK, so Sharknado 2 wasn’t in theaters, but the sequel to last year’s social media darling still managed to make a big splash when it debuted on the Syfy channel. Sharknado: The Video Game (free on iOS App Store) puts players in the shoes of hero Fin Shepard as he runs (and surfs!) through the shark-infested streets of New York City. The goal is to destroy as many of the tornadoes as possible by slicing sharks in half with your trusty chainsaw.
Is it worth your time?
Developer Other Ocean reused the formula from its last mobile game, NBA Rush, but the result isn’t as quirky or engaging as the basketball-meets-alien-invasion runner. The surfing levels aren’t fun at all, and the catchy Sharknado theme playing in the background quickly becomes an annoying jingle that’ll have you reaching for the “off” button.
Grade: C
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon
Above: Gamora and Drax do melee damage, Groot can heal the team, and Star-Lord is a long-range attacker.
How does it tie into Guardians of the Galaxy?
The Universal Weapon (for iOS, Android, and Windows devices) isn’t a 100 percent faithful adaptation of the feel-good sci-fi flick, but anyone who’s seen the movie will be familiar with the Guardians’ struggle to break out of prison and fight Ronan the Accuser. Joining Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot in this real-time role-playing game are a few other characters from the Marvel universe, including Beta Ray Bill and the Hulk.
Is it worth your time?
I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted that a group of obscure intergalactic superheroes would be the stars of the highest-grossing film of the summer, and the Guardians’ momentum doesn’t stop with The Universal Weapon. Its RPG mechanics are easy to learn, but it has a lot of tactical depth since the roster is so large. Each character falls into a specific class (melee, long-range, and healer), so The Universal Weapon is all about finding your favorite team to bring into battle.
Grade: B
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Official Game
Above: Leonardo will always be the best ninja turtle.
How does tie into the film?
The only things they have in common are the turtles’ origin story and their bodybuilder-like redesigns. But for the most part, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (iOS and Android) uses elements from the franchises’s 30-year history to create its own tale. Developer The Game Bakers made some smart decisions here, like replacing the film’s militarized Foot Clan members with the purple-clad ninjas that some of us grew up on, and adding old favorites Bebop and Rocksteady to the cast of villains.
Is it worth your time?
TMNT was one of the big pop culture pillars of my childhood (it ranks slightly below Power Rangers), and part of that had to do with all the quarters I lost while playing the arcade game. The Game Bakers’s brawler reminds me of that a lot, and it fits well on a touch screen. Since movement is automatic, you don’t have to worry about using a virtual D-pad. This leaves you more time to focus on building combos and performing cool team-based attacks. Requisite pizza jokes and some decent voice-over work complete the TMNT experience.
Grade: B+
The Expendabros
Above: Just a day in the life of Broney Ross.
How does it tie into The Expendables III?
The movies are just thinly veiled excuses for a bunch of classic action stars to blow things up, and someone finally found an excellent way to translate that into a game. The Expendabros (for PC) is a free standalone version of the work-in-progress Broforce, a hectic side-scroller that’s both a tribute to and a parody of ’80s action films — the machismo-laden adventures that The Expendables have spent the last few years trying to recapture. Actors Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture are all here, lovingly crafted as 2D sprites.
Is it worth your time?
It’s frickin’ perfect. Developer Free Lives (read our interview with the studio here) knew exactly what makes the films so fun — the explosions, the stunts, and the body count — and multiplies all of that by 100. I kept laughing when I found out Lee Broxmas’s attack is just a flurry of knives, or when I saw how Bro Caesar can use his minigun to launch himself halfway across the screen. You can finish The Expendabros in under two hours, but it’s one of the most entertaining two hours you’ll have with games this year.
Grade: A+