Cestos 2: Party Time

Cestos 2: Party Time [by Chicken Brick Studios] is just awesome. The first ‘multiplayer’ game I’ve ever played on my Droid and I love it. Cestos 2 is definitely the game you should demonstrate when someone asks you about multiplayer gaming on Aandroid. Compared to Cestos 1, the sequel has much better graphics and feels polished and all in all perfected. Some people still think the original Cestos game is better judging by the comments. I haven’t played Cestos one yet, but GamerX tells me Cestos two is definitely a lot better. Since this game uses vectors and vectors are physics you could call Cestos 2 a casual multiplayer vector-physics game.

From the main menu with a beautifully drawn background you can access the customization menu for your avatar, check out your stats to see how well you’re doing, find players you’ve met online and add them as friends and of course start playing the game. There are 2, 3 and 4 player games modes with the number of online players shown underneath each button. The game mode is selected randomly which some players don’t like (and I can see why), but I really don’t mind it at all. After one of the 5 modes is picked you see some brief instructions on the screen and are forced to start playing because the time given to choose the direction and speed of your spheres is running out. It caused some confusion for me the first time I played the game but you catch on very quickly.

Whether there are 2, 3 or 4 players there is never any lag in gameplay and the graphics are just as good in any mode. There are a few different backgrounds which look good and are easy on the eyes which also allows you to focus on the game and not get lost in all the different colors. The 5 game modes are: Minefield, Star collector, Target practice, Black hole and Pinball. You have 10 lives to lose in the Minefield mode and every time you move you leave a mine behind you. The first one to lose all 10 lives loses. There are gold, silver, and bronze stars to collect in Star collector mode and the player with the most points at the end of 5 rounds wins. Target practice is like curling and the player with the most points at the end of 5 rounds wins. You leave mines behind you when you move in the Black hole mode, which makes it more likely someone will fall into the pit. The game will go on as long as it has to, until one of the players’ spheres all end up in the pit. Hit as many bumpers as you can in the Pinball mode to win the game.

You are awarded experience points and coins when you win. XP points obviously help you reach higher levels and coins are used to customize your avatar. There are colors, facial features, accessories and glowing auras for you to unlock using the money you’ve earned. There are lots of them available in the demo version and even more in the paid version. This game is all about multiplayer so you get to add people as friends, send them messages and even chat while you’re playing the game. A physical keyboard comes in handy here, because the touch screen keyboard will block the whole screen and you won’t be able to see what’s going on.

Let’s face it, most android games aren’t as good as iPhone games, yet… Games like Fruit Ninja and Cestos 2 is what gives me hope for betters games for android phones. Good graphics, smooth gameplay, interesting concept and professionalism are the credentials of a good game. This is what Cestos 2 has to offer. Let’s not forget constant updates, speaking of which, Cestos 2 is now in Halloween mode. That’s why the main menu background looks like that and also the reason why you’ll encounter avatars dressed as ghosts, vampires and other monsters. We always talk about how addictive the game is in our reviews and to say that Cestos 2 is addictive would be very modest. I’ve wasted 5 hours playing it at my job yesterday, that’s how addictive it is, so be careful. I’m definitely purchasing the full version today, because this game doesn’t get old and I think I’ll be playing it for a long time.