Madcoaster Review

If you are one of the millions of players who downloaded and lost hours of their lives playing Jetpack Joyride then I may have a new game to break that addiction.

Madcoaster from App Store dominators Chillingo is a new universal game where you control a roller coaster train on a never ending journey through multiple lands in order to collect as many coins and travel as far as you can with all your lives intact.

The game has a great cartoon look to it and the multiple lands look great as you speed through them. The game starts with just a few ‘themes’ enabled which you travel through for 1,000 meters at a time. Should you complete 1,000 meters you will continue on through another ‘theme’ until you run out of lives.

The themes are based on different events and locations, so one moment you may find yourself zooming past panda’s in a Japanese themed environment and the next past pumpkins in a Halloween inspired theme. Additional themes can also be unlocked via in app purchase or by reaching 10,000 meters in the game. The in-app purchases are nicely positioned meaning that you don’t have to keep on buying them.

Your roller coaster carts have no speed control but things get pretty crazy straight out of the traps and you’ll need fast fingers as you leap gaps, loop the loop, and move up and down tracks.

As you fly along the rails you can pick up coins and smash though a variety of animals, the only thing that can kill you is falling off the track though, in fact smashing through the animals that are standing on the tracks or hitting birds that are flying past the tracks earn you rewards rather than hinder you.

All these things contribute to the variety of objectives that are set for you on each run and clearing these objectives will provide upgraded carts for you to ride. Not that these carts have any additional features, instead they just look different to prior carts, it would be nice to have power ups to make your cart faster or jump higher.

The game has that addictive quality that makes you want to try one more time to beat your current high-score or complete one more of the 30 achievements that are available via Chillingo’s social gaming network Crystal, or the GameCenter integration.

Madcoaster is a Universal app and is available from the App Store for just 99c so grab it while you can.

• Fast paced roller coaster action
• Never ending gameplay
• Well pitched in-app purchases
• Addictive

What to know:

• Powered up carts please

Island Wars Review: The game is brought to you by Movisol and it is their first game on the app store. The Penguin and the Tortoise are at war. The North Pole penguin wants to take over the beautiful island and build his dream seaside resort. The tortoise who currently happily lives there is now having to defend is home from the pesky penguin.

If you have ever tried Angry Birds then you will be familiar with this style of slingshot game play. The idea is you must sink the opponents island. To do this you need to destroy the cork that is used to stop it from sinking. The cork will be protected by stones, cubes and logs and it is your job to destroy them to get to it.

There are several modes to play in Islands Wars for iPhone. Story mode which is the one player classic game. There is a story to begin with to explain what is happening and then you just aim your tortoise at the penguin and try destroying the cork to sink the island and win. You keep doing this and work your way through the levels.

The next mode is Online challenge. Within this mode you can play turn-based with your friends. You can challenge any of your Game Center friends for a match. The online mode is different to the story mode. Both parties will have a slingshot to fire and aim and the idea is you must sink the island faster than your opponent sinks yours. There is also a chat section within the app to talk to the person you are playing, maybe even brag a little when doing well.

The final mode is using the same device and pass and play playing the same way you do in the online mode by seeing who can destroy the island the fastest.

It is very easy to control and play just use your finger to pull back the sling and then let go when you have your aim correct. If you need to see where the penguin is you can swipe the screen first. The game has some super cute sound effects. The little tortoise getting flung in the air screeches like tarzan in the jungle. There is also some catchy music playing to set the island scene. It is all very bright and colourful and the characters are sure to appeal to all ages.

What we like

• Game Center challenges offer the game good replay value.
• Great graphics and sound effects.

What to know

• In the one player story mode there are not a great deal of levels to play yet.

Nom Nom Monkey Review: I used to use the word Nom, a shortened version of the word Nommy, throughout my formative years and now it seems to be having a renaissance with it being used in a variety of games, this time in the form of the name of a monkey.

Nom Nom Monkey {$0.99} is a hungry little fellow and the whole of the game is simply a task of feeding him as much as you can either in 60 seconds or before he dies. These two endings come in the form of he two game modes with Frenzy providing the former and Survival the latter.

I’m not sure if this game is aimed at the younger market but that’s who is going to enjoy it the most thanks to its bright graphics and simplistic controls. The controls are just simple left and right virtual buttons which move Nom Nom in the corresponding directions so that he can munch on the fruit that is fall from the tree-troops above him.

Eating the fruit and especially the golden fruit will rack up the score multiplier which is your soul task in Frenzy mode while Survival mode includes the troublesome task of avoiding the spears that shot up from beneath you and the bombs that parachute down from above you.

While there is no Game Center integration there are over 20 achievements and numerous statistics to monitor your success but even with those additions the game is still overall a disappointing play. The game is made in conjunction with Uninspired Productions and Lunch Time Games and that’s exactly what it is, uninspired and likely to keep you entertained not more than a single lunch time.

What we like:

• Simple controls
• 20+ achievements

What to know:

• Uninspired game-play
• No depth

ZombiePanic Review: A carnival-style, Whack-a-Mole® type of game where zombies are all around and it’s your job to take them out while sparing the other survivors of the apocalypse.

You’re just an average Joe when the apocalypse hits, and suddenly everything around you changes. People most of all. What used to be just a salary man or a cheer girl are now zombies ready to attack you from all sides. You find yourself on a street lined with doors and manholes where either survivors or zombies could pop out at any moment. Your job is to negotiate the doors, looking for ones with exclamation points especially, and be ready to take out the zombies when the doors open. Of course, you don’t want to harm any innocents; so knee-jerk reflexes must be tempered with a moment of discernment.

Zombies can also be behind boarded up doors or in wooden crates or pop up from the manholes. Basically, if something moves, chances are you’ll need to kill it. Just don’t jump too quickly. You take out the zombies using your skills and weapon, both of which can be upgraded over time. Just tapping on a zombie’s head pretty much does the job, although you may have to tap more than once. And to keep it interesting survivors can turn to zombies right before your eyes. But don’t shoot before they’re fully lost. That’s the same as taking out an innocent.

On occasion you stumble into a zombie rush where you don’t have to go looking for the zombies because they’re coming after you. In this rapid-fire game mode you pretty much shoot anything that moves and hope you can hold the hordes off.

The feel of the games is a bit dark, but not depressing. The zombies lean more towards the comic than the gory. The music is more suited to an action movie than a horror flick, but some sound effects lean towards spooky. You can also choose from easy, normal, insane, and unlimited game modes to suit your ability and preferences.

ZombiePanic {$.99} is a fun, quick-thinking, reflex-testing game. It’s probably best played in short spurts, which can be defined as anything from a few minutes to a few hours. The challenge is simple, but good. It’s an excellent way to prepare for the coming apocalypse.

What we like:

• Controls/game concept easy to master
• Variety of weapons/skills keep the battle interesting
• Different modes mix up the game play

What to know:

• Game instruction screen is a little overwhelming and maybe tries to do too much in one place

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Spaceship Ion Review

Spaceship Ion ($.99) is a shoot’em game with a story that unfolds has you progress through the levels. Use your pilot skills to fly the spaceship and shoot the missiles at the alien enemy.

Controlling your ship is easy. You can tilt your device or control with your finger. You are not limited to moving left or right you can also move forward and backwards. There is also no need to worry about tapping any buttons for firing the missiles either as these are launched continuously themselves.

Simply aim the shooting missiles at the aliens and you will destroy them. To kill large alien enemies and the main bosses use the smart missile to target lock the enemy. The whole time you have the alien locked your missile will keep firing until they die.

There are different missiles and lasers to destroy your enemy with. Items like Thor missiles for slow moving enemies, Lance missiles that pierce through the enemy and continue to hit them at the back and a DFF laser which can damage the aliens in seconds. All helpful in the many different situations you will come across.

Every time you destroy the aliens you are left credit tokens to collect. All the credit you build up can be used to buy improved and more powerful weapons. So make sure you pick them up as you go. Along the way you can collect power ups to help your gameplay. These power ups upgrade your weapons and can be upgraded a maximum of 4 times. If you lose a life though it is worth noting you lose 2x of your power ups on your weapons.

When you progress through the game you can unlock up to 12 medals. It will show you on screen when you do. Some of these medals then unlock new weapons to use against your enemy. There are 10 weapons to collect altogether.

Each level has its own theme and own unique bosses to be destroyed. In total there are 22 enemies and 8 bosses. There are also different modes to play normal, hard and very hard. You can unlock more weapons by completing the normal and hard mode.

I found the game very easy to control. I preferred the tap controls rather than tilting as you seemed to be able to get a more accurate control of the space ship. It was fast moving and the game keeps you on your toes with the aliens coming at you from all directions. The big bosses take a bit of beating but it’s not very difficult to win advance levels.

I loved the sound effects and music to the game. It was very suited and unlike most music playing games, it wasn’t annoying to have playing in the background. The graphics are very good and make the whole game experience enjoyable.

Due to the app been featured in New & Noteworthy in several regions Spaceship Ion is currently on offer with a 50% discount.

Pros:

• Great sound effects and graphics.
• Tap or tilt controls
• Easy to pick up and play

Cons:

• No Game Center integration.

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Trailer

Gold Jumper Review: Gold Jumper ($.99) for iPhone is a simple, arcade-style game that tests your eye-hand coordination, your timing, and your desire for gold!The game is set in a gold mine – you know mining carts on rails and all that. Your job is to successfully fling the sacks of gold between carts and move them up and out of the mine. Tapping on the screen causes them to jump in the air, but you must correctly time your jumps to get the sacks to land in the moving carts. There are also hammocks and platforms and other devices to aid you in your task. Most of the game revolves around a spring-like action in moving your loot. I found myself bouncing a bit in my chair for that added edge. Body English always helps, right?

There are hints of Mario in it, but Gold Jumper is vertically organized instead of the usual left-to-right motion. This increases the challenge, since you are effectively working in a narrow mineshaft with not much room to maneuver. The cramped space keeps the pace of the game moving right along. And once you’ve emptied your mine of all it’s gold, it a race to the next mine for more sack slinging.The graphics are clean, crisp, and bright, and the music is equally spunky. The characters, when they appear, are suitably rugged-looking for the adventure. And the game devices – such as carts, hammocks, and platforms – are colored to assist you in their various uses.

This is a simple to learn game that is challenging enough to keep you twisting your body and biting your tongue. Besides, these days, who isn’t interested in sacks of gold?

Pros:

• Simple, one-touch control
• Challenging, with both aim and timing, to succeed in the mission
• Spunky look, sound, and feel to the game

Cons:

• Music can get a little irritating when playing for an extended amount of time

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Ninja Hamster Rescue Review: A side scrolling game brought to you by NakaiEntertainment. Help Riku the elite ninja hamster save his village from the samurai cats by destroying them along the way and save the hamster babies.

The cats have been attacking the village and kidnapping all the baby hamsters. It is left up to Riku to save them all, with your help. Use his ninja skills to fight them and bring the babies home.

Ninja Hamster Rescue uses very simple controls. Riku will move all the time as the game scrolls sideways. All you have to do is control his kicks and jumps by pressing the buttons accordingly. Use the jump button to jump up on ledges and try avoid any obstacles. The kick button is for defending yourself and killing the Samurai cats. Along the way collect all the baby hamsters for extra points.

There are three modes to play; classic and two others, that need to be unlocked first, Golden and Hardcore. The game is also supported with OpenFeint and Game Center all offering a good amount of leaderboard and achievements that need to be mastered. Ideal if you like competing with your friends as well.

Graphics are good, the hamsters and other characters along the way are easy to make out and the buttons are just the right size. The music does get a little annoying after a while but you can turn it off in settings. It is suitable for all ages and a fun game that can be picked up and played when it suits.

Pros

• 3 Game modes
• Game Center Integration
• Suitable for all ages

Cons

• Music can be a little annoying.

Supercow ($.99) plays like a Mario-style game where you collect coins and jump on the bad guys. You can also collect gems, and uncover the professor’s secrets. It’s a familiar enough style to let you get right into playing the game.

I found the game easy to get into and addictive right from the start. The levels are short enough to make you feel like you’re making progress quickly, yet each level has enough challenges to make you go “whew!” when you’ve completed it.

Some games have touchy controls that can make manipulating your character a challenge. Supercow gives you four choices on how you prefer to interact with the game. You can use the accelerometer, or have buttons on the left or right of the screen. And there are a couple of choices for the jump button too. It’s easy to find something comfortable so you can focus on the game. You can also move left or right which allows you to go back to pick up objects that you may have missed.

The music sets the background for the game and the special effects sounds give you some nice feedback. The characters and backgrounds are cute and detailed and add to the humor of the game. A lot of information is presented as text in dialog-type boxes, but it is also being given as audio so if the text is too small, or the player too young to read, nothing is missed.

This is a great game for playing in small chunks or for devoting extended time to moving through the stages. It should be easy enough to control for a kid, but adults are going to enjoy it too. It’s worth a laugh and more than a few hours of your time.

Pros:

• You can control the pace and move forward and backward
• Four options to set the controls lets you find what works for you
• Broken into short segments (levels) to keep it moving along
• Easy to control Supercow’s movements

Cons:

• There’s a fair bit of text which is small to read (but most is also audio too)

Video

Gallery

Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp by Electronic Arts is the sequel to Dragon’s Lair. Just like the arcade classic, Dirk the Daring is on a mission to save Princess Daphne from the evil hands of Wizard Mordroc. Help Dirk race through the the different worlds in his old time machine to rescue her before she is lost in the time warp and made to marry Mordroc!

There are eight fantasy worlds for Dirk the Daring to explore. Each one bringing different characters and great animation. You may even recognise some of the places you visit and the people there; Sleeping Beauty and Alice In Wonderland to name a few. Each world is full of colourful characters and great animation all that will keep you entertained.

Controlling Dirk is easy, well actually you don’t really control him at all. There is no direct control over Dirk you can’t move him to where ever you want, just where the game chooses. On your screen there is a sword button and a directional pad showing arrow buttons in the four directions. To make Dirk move on screen to where he needs to go, you have to wait for the correct button to light up and then tap it. Miss the lit button and Dirk dies an early death. It is really a reflex game, you wait for the button, tap it and then wait for the next. You have to hit them very fast because if you don’t the light goes out and you miss it. Look away for a second and you will probably lose your life.

You can choose how many lives Dirk has 3, 5 or infinite depending how hard you want to make the game for yourself. I ended up using infinite as Dirk seems to die far too easily!

In the options section there is a choice to change the button size from small up to large. I used the medium ones to start with but found if the buttons are small all you seem to be doing is watching them and you miss all the on screen action later. You really can’t see what is going on. Where as if you have the large buttons they spread them out across the outside of the screen and in the middle you can still see what is going on in the animation. You can also turn the beep sounds of the buttons off but again if you do, it makes for a very hard game play.

‘Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp‘ features some great animation. If you have played the classic game before then this version is sure to be a hit with you. If you haven’t then you may just be a little disappointed. It seems a shame that you can’t actually control Dirk yourself and put him where ever you like. The game is more just a reflex game and all about tapping the lit buttons. After a while it did become a little tedious because that was all you was doing. Don’t get me wrong, the on screen animation and actions were really good but it would just have been nice to be a bit more involved in the game.

The cute animations make it seem like it would be suitable for any age but to be honest it is quite hard at times and I can easily see a young child struggle with it right from the start.

If you have still not tried Dragons Lair 2 it is on sale at the moment for Fathers Day so grab it while you can.

Pros

• Great animation and sound effects.
• Just like the actual arcade classic

Cons

• No direct control over Dirk.
• Quite hard game play at times.

$.99 (App Store)

Destructopus [$1.99, App Store] is a arcade style destruction game where you are tasked with saving animals from armed humans. The awesome part? You are a giant octopus that uses its tentacles, huge teeth and special powers. Simple, yet addictive and awesome.

The control system is very simple and allows for a great pick up and play experience. The controls on the left side of the screen are for back and forth movements as well as ducking. Ducking becomes handy very early as giant missiles are launched and can be ducked. This will keep your life up so that you can go on tearing it up. Simply tapping the top part of the screen makes your giant squid bite at the building while a tap at the bottom throws some serious Mike Tyson like uppercuts. There are special weapons that you can acquire that really spice up your destruction. Special weapons like shooting laser beams out of your eyes and breathing fire are two that I got to play with. I couldn’t help but think of Dr. Evil in Austin Powers when he said, “sharks with freakin laser beams on their head.” These beams made quick work of helicopters that proved to be a pain otherwise. The weapons and fast paced gameplay go hand in hand in making this games control system seem full proof.

The scoring system is pretty simple. I don’t want to over explain the scoring system. Basically, you look for everything you can destroy and tear it up. There are bonuses for highest combo, enemy units destroyed, destruction points, time and health. These things all add up to give you your score total. You are limited to a certain amount of time so you do not was to take your time. However be sure you don’t cruise right past the building because you don’t always take them down with the first couple swings. This scoring seems helps make the levels more challenging.

The enemies and obstacles that you will face in this game vary greatly. The human and human controlled weapons range from everyday soldiers with machine guns, to guys with rocket launchers, tanks, helicopters and even soldiers with high-powered rifles. The obstacles that you face that you will want to destroy to get a higher score are buildings, billboards, shipping containers and even land mines. The best thing you will face are the bosses. They are large and in charge and they make for a solid challenge. These different enemies and obstacles help make the game even more addicting.

The presentation of this game is great. The overall feel of the game is absolutely an arcade feel. The music goes right along with that theme and took me back to when I was in middle school and playing in the arcades. It was awesome to get taken back to old times by a game on my iPhone. The fast paced music makes you want to stay in the action and keep going with the addictive gameplay. The graphics feel very much like an arcade with an obvious improvement from the retina display. This game’s presentation starts with the great music that the game opens with and is better and better as you play through the 4 environments. I definitely recommend this game for any one who is into arcade games or destruction based games.

Pros

• Great Arcade Feel
• Awesome Music
• Great Character
• Addictive Gameplay

Cons

• Could Use More Environments
• Social Tie-Ins
• Leaderboard system would be nice

$1.99
Category: Games
Released: May 03, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0
Size: 17.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: GlitchSoft Corporation
© 2011
Rated 9+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

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Thick Lips for iPhone utilizes a simple tap system to control the game. That is all there is to it really, you tap the enemies as they pop up in any of the nine locations on the screen. You have a health bar that is affected by missed attempts, tapping enemies that have a defense mechanism and not tapping a certain enemy in a given amount of time. At the top of the screen you will see a percentage bar that tells you how far you have progressed through the current level. Utilizing these tools and your quick thumbs, you must carefully attack the enemies and eradicate them all without letting your health meter reach zero. Putting together several successful taps in a row will bring up health regeneration boosts which are a must to make it through some of the levels you will be faced with.

The enemies that you face vary greatly as you progress through the levels. There are 10 different types of Thick Lips in the challenge levels. As you progress, the Thick Lips have different methods of avoiding your taps such as: spiny (touching them hurts you), invisible (hidden), teletransporting (escape from touching), reproducing themselves (takes more taps to kill) and many more. After you complete the first ten levels of the game you will unlock “Endless” mode. There are four more Thick Lips waiting for you in this mode and it is just what it sounds like, endless. All this makes the game more and more difficult but you have a few tricks up your sleeve to help thwart the Thick Lips’ efforts. Those tricks coming in the form of power ups like: missile (destroys all Thick Lips on screen), cannon (destroys any Thick Lips you tap) and blood (helps you recover health). You will find that using these tools may help you complete levels but to gain three stars on each level you will need them to the fullest. The star ranking is based on getting 100% completion of the level and the amount of health you have at the end of the level.

The presentation of this game is awesome. The graphics and sounds really enhance the gameplay to their maximum potential. The Thick Lips vary greatly are funny little critters. The sounds help you figure out what kind of situation you are in. The music gets faster and more menacing when you are running low on health and slows down when you have plenty of health. The combo sound system is also very impressive. It’s almost like a slot machine in how the combos add up to a more and more high pitched ring. Again, the sounds help notify you of your situation and the results of your actions which is awesome. The social tie ins in this game are very impressive as well. From the home screen to level completion you have options for leaderboards, twitter and Facebook. These have come to be elements that I look for in every game I review. Can’t beat addictive gameplay with great presentation for under a buck! There may be only ten levels but the “Endless” makes the replay value skyrocket! Overall I think this game is a must have for 99 pennies.

Pros

• Addictive
• Great Visuals
• Great Audio
• High Replay Value

Cons

• Only 10 initial levels, can’t get enough of them

$0.99
Category: Games
Released: Apr 09, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0
Size: 16.0 MB
Languages: English, German
Seller: Eddy Leung
© 2011 EddyL
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

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Tapper World Tour for iPhone harkens its 1980s arcade roots and creates a stunning atmosphere with addictive gameplay. The new age remake brings amazing presentation with constantly changing environments and sounds with the old school gameplay. The game is fairly simple but does a great job of staying fresh with mini games and little twists along the way. Tapper World Tour is a steal at its special introductory price.

You begin as bartender and you are trying to make sure everyone gets their drinks. A simple tap sends a frosty beverage skating down the bar to a thirsty patron. The goal is to keep the advancing patrons at bay by sending drinks down the bar towards them. If a patron gets to your end of the bar without a beverage or you send too many drinks down the bar and a glass breaks, you lose a life. You have a limited number of lives so you have to pay attention and be quick.

The settings vary from a Mexican cantina, to a Boston sports bar and even a South American setting. This keeps the gameplay fresh with new faces and environments and also with new twists in gameplay. The core game never changes but the little twists vary from trying to scurry down the bar to get a tip while continuing to serve patrons to catching empty glasses while continuing to serve. These along with others keep the gameplay changing in a way that keeps the game fun and escalates the difficulty level drastically.

The mini-games were a fun change of pace as well. For example, they put a badge under a cowboy hat that is in a line of four and shuffle them up and if you pick the right hat, you get a nice little prize. This is a very subtle change of pace but a neat little way to throw you bone and get you more points. The game also introduces certain things to aid you along the way. An example is when you are serving drinks sometimes it would be nice to have a pause so that you can get caught up. Well, they offer a solution to this problem by having a show on the stage at the bar that the patrons stop and watch which gives you some time to get caught up. The changes in gameplay and aids make this game very fun and forgiving.

The scoring scheme is pretty simple as you get points for successfully serving patrons. You can also get a boost by successfully serving multiple patrons in a row. This often leads to boosts as well such as a tip. The game also has a star system to tell you how well you did in a particular stage. Get a high score and you are looking at 3 stars, poor and you’ll earn 1 star. This gives you an idea on how well you did. The game also uses Game Center so it is a great way of tracking the leaderboards and achievements and bragging to friends. I think this is a key feature of any game as social networking is a part of everyday life, like it or not.

The visual and audio presentation of this game is maybe my favorite part. The backdrops seem to always change and match the environment very well. From Mexican cantina to Boston sports bar, the characters are pretty funny to watch when you have a moment. The visual representation of your location is very suitable and the game never seems to slow down even though there is a ton of things going on. The audio is always a thing I nitpick at but I was very impressed by the way this game found a nice way to transition from place to place with a musical change. The menu music is different from the levels and each environment has its own set of sounds which set it apart from the others. These are small details but to me, they have a great impact on your gameplay experience.

Overall, I was very impressed with the presentation and the simple yet addictive game play that Tapper brings. It’s a fun loving game that has various settings and musical attributes that keep it from getting stale. I would highly recommend this game. It will provide tons of fun for a low price of 99 cents.

Pros

• Presentation
• Number of Levels and Environments
• Addictive Gameplay
• Great Graphics

Cons

• It would be cool if it supported OpenFeint

$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Mar 16, 2011
Version: 1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 152 MB
Language: English
Seller: Warner Bros. Entertainment
TM and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Rated 12+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later

At first look you will think that Subsolar for iPhone ($1.99, View in iTunes) is just another game in the App Store. For those that were fans of Love Battle Princess, it’s a re-skin. Either way you look at it, it’s as simple as collect the blue orbs while dodging the red ones. There are added obstacles and power-ups that keep the game fun and fresh. The game play from Love Battle Princess is kept fully intact in Subsolar but the theme and music have changed the game and some might say for the better.

Subsolar is a re-themed version of Love Battle Princess with new visual and audio aspects. The game play is essentially the same so if you have one, I’m not sure that there is much value in the other. However, I have been very impressed with the overall presentation of the game. You are greeted by a very sleek main menu that offers several options. Mission mode and Survival mode are the two game modes. You will be asked to complete all of the tutorials before actually jumping into either game mode.

Tutorials, in my opinion, are crucial to the user experience of many games. Games without a solid understanding of what to do and how to do, many games fail to meet the expectations of the user and ultimately get passed up. The tutorial of this game is thorough and definitely aids you in learning the inner working of the game and strategies that will aid you throughout your journey.

Subsolar is addictive to tell the truth. Collecting blue orbs and avoiding red orbs doesn’t sound like much fun until you actually start playing this game. Avoiding the red orbs while capturing the blue orbs and then using the blue orbs to blow up the red orbs can become a chore. You will get to the point where you will throw in a vortex, power-ups and super power fields to help the cause. The game uses these to enhance the experience and add some diversity to the game play. Getting used to how the game gives more points for certain actions is key to being able to brag about a high score.

Missions mode is just what it sounds like. It asks you to complete a given task in a certain amount of time. Completing the task in the allotted amount of time is one goal with using techniques explained in the tutorials to obtain a high score is another. Missions is a more structured approach at playing the game that gives you a natural progression in difficulty by level. This mode was great for preparing me for my favorite game mode, Survival mode.

Survival mode is where you take what you learned in the tutorials and the Missions mode and put it to work. In Survival mode you do all you can to stay alive as long as you can while trying to obtain the highest score. This mode was a blast for me and I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to beat my old score let alone the fact that it ties in with Game Center. The survival mode is great if you’re looking to just sit down and get a quick game in. I highly recommend this game type.

Overall this game was a great play for me. I had my fair share of skepticism at first but the variance in game play kept the game fresh with new ways to score points. It is a very fun game with different game modes for both long sit down sessions or times when you just have a quick minute to play.

Both the audio and visual of this game were well put together. From active backgrounds to the very informative pop ups, the presentation of Subsolar is something that I truly enjoyed. The background changing is a small but very refreshing detail for sticklers like me. The sounds are well put together and never seem like they are too much for the game or the phone. I honestly can’t say enough about the presentation of this game, its great and goes well with very solid game play.

Pros

• Presentation
• Tutorials
• Evolving Gameplay

Cons

• It is a re-skin but a good one
• No ladies like Love Battle Princess

$1.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Jan 27, 2011
Version: 1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 33.1 MB
Language: English
Seller: Tenshi Noir Entertainment inc.
© 2011 Tenshi Noir Inc.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

If you’ve ever wanted a goldfish but didn’t want the hassle of the feeding, cleaning and inevitable death then perhaps a virtual one is the answer. Now there are many options when it comes to virtual goldfish but none quite like the goldfish that is part of the game ‘Last Fish’.

In Last Fish for iPhone you take control of a glowing white silhouette of a gold fish as it swims in the darkest of waters.

You control the fish using the accelerometer as it swims around the dark screen with the glow of his white body creating additional visibility in the darkness.

The game is split into two game types, levels and arcade. Levels consists of 45 levels with increasingly difficult challenges. The challenges vary from surviving a given length of time, collecting a stream of rings to building your health up to a certain level.

All this is done while avoiding the goo that saps your energy and in later levels the dark fish that chase you, also in an attempt to sap your energy.

The Arcade mode consists of five levels where your challenge is to survive as long as possible. Each level gets increasingly difficult and is unlocked based on your success in the Levels part of the game.

The game is dark, moody and atmospheric and with the Open Feint integration adding achievements and leaderboards Last Fish is an intriguing fun game for all ages.

$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Dec 14, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
9.1 MB
Language: English
Seller: Filipe Lemos
© 2010 Filipe Lemos
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

If you’ve ever played whack-a-mole then you will feel perfectly at home with Crazy Critters for iPhone which takes the basic premise of that game and takes it up a notch by adding extra animals and techniques to catch them.

The graphics are bright and colorful and would certainly attract younger players to the game but once inside and after the initial levels if it is a youngster playing the game I hope they have fast reactions as catching the animals will require some fast finger work.

After rescuing the moles you’ll move through to baby chicks, ducks, sheep, pigs, cows and eventually horses and with each new animal you will be given a weapon to add to you arsenal to aid you in catching the crazy critters. However, once you are done at the farm there are some more exotic animals for you to contend with.

Once in you possession you can enable them by selecting them from the bottom of the screen and they will be active for a limited time. Depending on your success you will earn gold to buy more weapons and be rated on a scale out of three, both of which add some replay value to the game.

The game is fun if a little repetitive, it would certainly appeal to players at the younger end of the market.

LambdaMu games, the developers of Crazy Critters, have sent us two promo codes for giveaway and you win this game for free by Retweeting this post.

Crazy Critters: The Adventure Begins! For iPhone and iPod Touch

$1.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated: 02 December 2010
Current Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
17.9 MB
Language: English
Developer: Lambda Mu Pte Ltd
© 2010 LambdaMu Games Pte Ltd
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.

Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gun [rating: 5/5]

This game will sell, sell a lot and that’s even before many people have played the game just because it’s part of the huge brand that is Star Wars.  A global phenomenon that has lasted centuries and shows no signs of abating.

In Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gun you step into the gun turret of none other than the Millenium Falcon defending yourself against multiple waves of TIE fighters, Star Destroyers and Asteroids around the Death Star and other areas from the movie including my favorite, the impressive Kessel Run .

Fans of the Star Wars genre will be pleased with the amount of original content thrown into the game, from the intro and between episode movies to the in game menus and in game speech the game oozes authenticity.  While some of the in game commentary from your crew can get a little repetitive hearing chewbacca growl every now and again never grows old.

If you take away all of the Star Wars glitter the game is ultimately a relatively simple arcade fighter where after stepping into the gunners seat you get to fly around the various environments shooting down all everything that is thrown at you.  It’s all done very intuitively, your gun turret is aimed using the left virtual joystick while you fire using the right joystick.  Steering is controlled using the accelerometer while speed is fixed so you have nothing to worry about there.

Upgrades to your Millenium Falcon can be earned by winning credits, however after earning your initial 10 credits which is enough to buy a single upgrade additional credits are hard to come by.  There’s one reason for this and that because you can additionally purchase these upgrade via in app purchasing at 99 cents per upgrade.  I can see why this has been done, in fact it’s the best of both worlds, you play hard and you earn the rewards, want to take a short cut then spend the money, I just think 99 cents per upgrade when there are 10 of the to unlock could potentially price the app at almost $15!

Back in the game and the action comes thick and fast, turning on auto target certainly makes things easier but then again where’s the fun in that.  Each level is made up of a number of waves of enemy and should you complete the level before your shield is reduced to zero you’ll complete it.  Your shield can also be replenished while you play by shooting multiple enemies in quick succession.

There isn’t a great deal of variety in the levels other than quantity and quality of the enemies but I still never found myself getting bored which just goes to show how fun the game is, and I haven’t even got to the best part yet.

As well as playing the game with the Star Wars environments as the back drop to you fury you can instead turn on the Augmented Reality option that uses your iPhone’s camera to use your real environment as the backdrop in the game.  This adds a whole new dimension to the game play as TIE Fighters appear over your sofa, from behind the dinning or if your playing outside from behind a tree or the person running toward you to steal your iPhone!

This is great fun especially as now to steer your Millenium Falcon you have to rotate a full 360 degree’s just as if you were flying it for real.  It’s a real eye catcher and while you may not want to play the full game in this mode it’s great for a change and especially good for showing off to your friends.

Some games are a success based on their name, some based on their content, Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gun have both these, in spades!

Pros

• Augmented reality
• Fully licensed Star Wars content
• Instinctive game play

Cons

• Potentially costly in app purchases

$4.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 18, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
128 MB
Language: English
Seller: THQ, Inc.
© 2010 Lucasfilm LTD & TM & © 2010 THQ Wireless, Inc.
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), and iPod touch (4th generation). Requires iOS 4.1 or later.

MultiPong for iPad [rating: 5/5]

I was introduced to gaming many, many years ago with a Binatone TV Gaming system that allowed my brothers and I to fight over a handful of pixels on the TV screen instead of over Subbuteo, draughts or who gets to eat the last Jammy Dodger.

Where Pong of the 80’s was a simple 2 tone game of ‘tennis’ or ‘squash’, MultiPong for iPad is a gorgeous, eye popping single or multi-player fight for survival where the battle is played over a small stainless steel ball.

As the name suggests the game is for up to 1 to 4 players, all on a single iPad, which makes it a great game to show off the iPad’s capabilities to friends and family.

The two player mode is where the game excels, unlike the basic two games in the old school original version MultiPong for iPad provides 5 variations Pong in the form of Classic, Flash, Crazy, Baby and Death Ball.

All five variations offer something a little different, but my favorites are Crazy and Death-ball where the action just keeps getting more and more frantic whether it’s the multitude of bonuses or the multitude of balls, there is always something going on.

The aforementioned bonuses are another thing that makes this different from the original Pong. Across the various game modes these bonus discs appear randomly on screen enabling the standard extra lives and longer/shorter paddles to the more extreme items such as time warp and gravity.

The physics of the game work great as do the controls which are as simple dragging your finger from side to side along whichever side of the screen is yours. Even when four players are playing things don’t get crowded which is what makes this game so much fun.

If you want to add extra oomph to the graphics you can add additional skins for 99 cents per skin, although to be honest I didn’t feel the need to buy them for the game isn’t all about the graphics, it’s all about the game play and simplicity.

Additional value is added via the local leader boards across all the game modes, it would be nice if these were global leader boards but that’s not the case at present.

If you want a simple game of pong that will keep both you and your friends entertained, MultiPong for iPad is the game for you.

Pros

• Sharp graphics
• Great physics
• Fun multi player

Cons

• No online leader boards

$2.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated: Oct 07, 2010
Current Version: 2.0
2.0
52.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: Febo
© Fingerlab 2010
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later

WackyLands Boss [rating: 5/5]

Chillingo have come up with yet another unique game, this time it’s Wacky Lands Boss which puts you in the unique position of playing the end of level boss who we’ve all competed against in so many games across the years if not centuries.

The game is a sideways scrolling button basher where your characters task is to pummel wave upon wave of ‘good guys’ as they attempt to defend their princess.  It’s a great twist on the classic genre and wonderfully implemented.

Your first task is to create your boss, this includes naming him and controlling some of his accessories. While you start with limited options in how you evolve and equip your boss as you progress through the levels you will unlock more clothes, armor, styles and weapons.

I’m not normally a huge fan of button bashing style controls but whether it’s the way they’ve been implemented or just the fun nature of the game the button bashing works great.  The irony is there are no buttons!  Instead holding either side of the screen will make your boss walk while tapping the screen will perform a quick punch, rendering the weaker opponents dead.

As you would expect things don’t stay easy and a single punch isn’t going to defeat an enemy.  However help is at hand thanks to a large punch that is performed by a sideways swipe and power ups that wreck havoc on the mini enemy.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that you are playing a boss each level also contains its own boss that you will need to pit your wits against in order to proceed.

Each level ramps up the difficulty with new enemies that are stronger and have weapons that they can use against you from a distant.  This is why it’s imperative that you return to your boss and continue to evolve and equip him with the latest items that you unlock by progressing through the game.

As mentioned previously there are a variety of weapons and power ups aiding you in your fight, these range from fire balls and foot stomps to rolling cows and eating princesses to recoup your energy.

For a game that is pretty repetitive in it’s game play I’ve found that I’ve not been able to put it down.  There are 12 levels of fun to be had as you rampage through the kingdoms and while you are at it there are 3 mini games thrown in for good measure.

Leader boards and achievements a provided by the link through to the Crystal social gaming network and these add extra value even once you’ve completed the 12 levels.

If you are after some button bashing fun, at just 99 cents you can’t go wrong with Chillingo’s WackyLands Boss.

Pros

• Simple yet effective controls
• More enemies than you can throw a stick at
• Great sense of humor

Cons

• Repetitive gameplay

$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Oct 28, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
19.8 MB
Language: English
Seller: Chillingo Ltd
© 2010 Fair Play Labs, S.A. – All rights reserved
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later

Sir Lovalot for iPhone has been developed by Hungry-Game the creators of Fly Kiwi, Fly! (View in iTunes) In this game your objective is to climb the infinite tower to rescue Sir Lovalot’s beloved princess. Avoid the traps as you climb and see how high you can go.

The game is similar to the popular jumping games like Doodle Jump (View in iTunes). Sir Lovalot needs to climb the vertical tower and rescue his princess. To do this you need to use the tilt controls on your device. Tap the screen to start and then he is off on his endless journey.

Where this differs to the rest is that this is a 3D tower and you have to jump around it as the tower spins round and round. Scattered around the tower are steps for you to jump on. Jump from one to the other and hope as you move further, there is another to jump on. If not and you only have a short fall he will be ok. If it is a big drop I’m afraid Sir Lovalot will fall to an untimely death and needless to say never reach his princess.

You have to also watch out for the many traps scattered around. Fires that will burn him and spikes that will give him a huge fright. Luckily you will get three lives to use if you do happen to sit on a spike or other trap so he won’t always die straight away.

As you climb higher and higher you should eventually meet a princess and rescue her. You collect your points and keep on going to rescue more that are trapped above.

When Sir Lovalot is climbing the tower he can also collect items along the journey. This is your loot, after each game you can see what loot you have collected in the ‘Ye Olde Collectibles’ and if you tap on it, it will give you a description of what it is. See how many you can collect!

The graphics are really nice and Sir Lovalot looks great climbing the tower and spinning his sword as he goes. The only thing that did become annoying was the sound that he made. Every time he jumped he would constantly repeat ‘up little buddy!’ I could only take it for so long and then had to turn the sound off. He really did say it far too many times.

The game is a good pick up and play game that can be played anytime and becomes very addictive. It is one of those games that you want to try over and over to beat your own score. To add to the challenge it is integrated with Open feint to compete with your friends.

Pros

• Great graphics
• Very addictive

Cons

• Some of the sound effects are annoying.
• Would be great to have Game Center Integration

$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Oct 01, 2010
Version:1.00
1.00 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
16.6 MB
Language:English
Seller:Hungry Game S.A.
© (c) Hungry Game 2010
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1 or later

When I first received Plates! to review I assumed from the logo that it was a homage to the Greek tradition of smashing plates during a meal. However, it was soon clear that it was it was nothing of the sort, instead you find yourself at the pass attempting to add the appropriate dressing to all the meals that pass by you on an conveyor belt.

The game-play, design and execution of this game are very simple, the game is all played on a single screen with four sauces in the four corners of the screen. Steak sauce, blueberry syrup, ketchup and salad oil are your weapons of choice and activating them is as easy as tapping on them.

With your sauce selected you can then add your selected sauce to the plate as it travels by. There are 6 types of dish that pass by waiting to be dressed and they are steak, salad, pancakes, hot dogs, steak & salad and hot dog & salad. Each sauce has a corresponding dish and the two combo plates will require a splash of each of their sauces to be completed.

The dishes flow by quickly so you’ll need speed and excellent eye to hand coordination if you want to avoid breaking any of the plates. This is pretty inevitable though as they speed by faster and faster. You do have five lives though so all is not lost immediately.

A few extras are added to the mix to keep things interesting such as combo’s where you sauce three of the same dishes in a row and dynamite dogs which which instantly end the game. The game is also OpenFeint enabled although with only score based achievements in addition to the leader boards this needs a little more work to completely take advantage of it.

Additional achievements and game modes are on their way though according to the developer so it will be interesting to see what they have up their sleeves.

The only downside to Plates! was the lack of appropriate sound effects, for example when selecting a sauce bottle while it does stand out, a little appropriate sound effect would be nice to confirm that you have actually selected it and the is no sound effect at all when the hot dogs blow up!

At just 99c Plates! is a fun and addictive addition to the app store and with the future updates this should be a good addition to your iPhone gaming arsenal.

Pros

• Simple game play
• Sharp graphics
• Fast, furious and addictive

Cons

• Poor use of achievements
• Unsophisticated sound effects

Reviewed on an iPhone 4

Price: $0.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Updated:Aug 19, 2010
Current Version:1.1
Size: 12.9 MB
Language:English
Seller:Kyle T. Webster Inc.
© 2010 Big Mouse Media and Peer Assembly
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

Chop Chop Soccer [rating: 4/5]

Despite the success of the Chop Chop range of games Chop Chop Soccer is my first dalliance with the range of sports games that swap reality for oriental cuteness.

I’ve played most of the soccer games that are available in the App Store including Fifa, PES to X2F2010 all of which concentrate on being soccer simulations with accuracy and depth. Chop Chop Soccer however focusses on simplicity and fun which it ultimately succeeds in.

The gameplay is as bright and fun in the navigation menus as it is in the gameplay and when the three players, yes it just a 3-a-side game, run out onto the pitch you’ll see how cute they are immediately. Don’t take this as a sign cute gameplay though as these mini players play hard.

The controls of Chop Chop Soccer couldn’t be simpler, in fact you actually only need one finger to dribble, pass, shoot and tackle making this probably the simplest soccer game in the App Store.

You can play a single game or take part in one of four tournaments which will see you playing and teams from all across the world in a variety of ‘stadiums’ from small town USA to the Egyptian pyramids.

You can play the game from 3 different camera angles and play through four difficulty levels with the Expert level proving to be the ultimate challenge, in fact I wasn’t even able to score a single goal against the opposition at that level.

Chop Chop Soccer doesn’t aim to compete against the full on soccer simulators but what is does offer is an instant dose of crazy soccer action that provides the same gratification when a goal is scored as it does in the other more serious alternatives.

Pros

• The simplest soccer controls ever
• Instant soccer gratification
• End to end action

Cons

• Not for all tastes
• More arcade than simulator

Price: $0.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released: Aug 04, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 26.8 MB
Language:English
Seller:Gamerizon
© 2010 Gamerizon Studio, Inc.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

Pro Zombie Soccer [rating: 4.5/5]

It appears that there is a war going on, a war between zombies and vampires in an attempt to take over all forms of entertainment, from games and books to movies there doesn’t appear to be a platform or genre that hasn’t had the zombie or vampire treatment. In this case though we can notch one up for the zombies as it is the undead that have infiltrated the soccer field in Pro Zombie Soccer.

As the title would suggest this is no ordinary soccer game, you aren’t going to find yourself taking a team of rotting human flesh to the world cup final, instead you take the role of Jax a talented soccer player who has fallen on hard times and finds himself getting bitten by a zombie, not any old zombie though, this is Julinho the world famous zombie soccer star and this starts Jax’s fight against the undead.

The story is told in a graphic comic book style and it’s well written and beautifully illustrated with a humorous storyline which continues between all the 9 worlds.

As with most successful games the control system needs to be easy and that is certainly the case for Pro Zombie Soccer where you control the aim and the kicking of your primary weapon, a.k.a. a soccer ball, fire the control button on the left side of the screen. With your thumb held down on the button you can set the direction of your shot while letting go will kick the ball.

To begin, a simple kick is all that’s required to decapitate the living dead that are after your blood. However, within a couple of levels new bloodthirsty zombies are introduced to the game-play that will either require multiple kicks or the use of one of the power-ups that are available to you.

The simple power-up is activated by holding down your thumb on the action button for a couple of seconds before you shoot, however killing multiple zombies will fill up your power bar and once it’s filled you can activate one of the special power-up that will enable you to kill multiple un-dead in one go. My favourite of these is the satellite power-up which activates a laser beam from outer-space which you can aim at multiple zombies via the accelerometer and kill them all.

As Jax makes his progress through the game he’ll go through multiple locations some of which he will stand staionary while the zombies attack him from the right, much like Plant’s Vs Zombies, while other levels will see Jax running through the levels killing the oncoming zombies as he does. Even on these levels though you don’t need to worry about speed or direction, just the shooting.

Pro Zombie Soccer for iPhone is also integrated with their own gaming network named Crystal which provides online leader boards and multiple achievements which add extra value to the game even once you’ve complete the game.

There are also 3 difficulty levels, Normal, Hardcore and Zombie mode although while I was able to complete the game on Normal I’m yet to complete it on Hardcore let alone Zombie mode.

Pro Zombie Soccer is nothing like you would expect from a game with soccer in the title but that’s no bad thing and is the perfect antidote to those of you that have had your fill of the World Cup! If you are quick you should still be able to grab Pro Zombie Soccer at the sale price of just 99 cents.

Pros

• Fast arcade action
• 9 blood thirsty worlds of dismemberment
• Multiple achievements via Crystal gaming network

Cons

• Looking for a soccer sim? Look elsewhere!

Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: Jun 28, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 82.6 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Seller: Chillingo Ltd
© Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.

EA Mobile recently announced their upcoming game for iPhone/iPod touch called “R-Type” The game is a classic side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game in which you control a space fighter to defend humanity.

R-Type for iPhone keeps 100% true to the original game allowing fans to get back to the ‘80s video-arcade experience in the palm of their hands.

Some features include:

• Blast off and strike the evil Bydo Empire. Pilot a futuristic fighter, the R-9a “Arrowhead,” and attack wave after wave of Bydo baddies in old-school side-shooter style
• Wide variety of different power ups and ship upgrades
• Includes original arcade game features including eight unique levels with 8 different bosses each and three different controls – tilt, touch and virtual D-Pad
• 3 different control modes and multiple difficulty modes

R-Type for iPhone and iPod touch will be coming soon from EA Mobile.

R-Type for iPhone Screenshots

Back in the day when my game console of choice was my trusty Commodore 64 computer one of the favourite games I would play was Super Sprint, a 2D top down racer that was as simplistic as they come yet had an addictive game-play that kept me coming back for more. And it was this game that instantly came to mind when I loaded Racing Mania HD for my latest gaming machine my Apple iPad.

The style and structure of the two are pretty similar. Both are top down racers with tiny cars and you can also upgrade and repair your vehicle as you progress through the 15 different tracks. It’s really as simple as that, however that’s no bad thing and while I still have a soft spot for the retro game Racing Mania HD is a fun little distraction too.

The game can be played in both single player mode and against a friend via the local network. The single player mode is split into Arcade and Practice modes with the 15 tracks only being able to played in Practice Mode after they’ve been unlocked in Arcade mode.

There are three control options to choose between, all of them use an accelerator and a break button on the right side of the screen while you get to choose your how you steer your vehicle from the option of a steering wheel, left and right arrows and the third option of using the accelerometer. All of them have there benefits but after playing with each of them for a while I settled on the left and right arrows as offering the best solution for me.

When launching the game you first need to choose your vehicle whether it’s a sleek hatch back, beach buggy, SUV or mini car there is something for everyone and while the differances between them are all pretty small they do all have there own stats which will impact on how you race to a lesser or greater extent.

Each car can additionally be upgraded for quicker acceleration or a higher top speed from your bank account that gets increased depending on your success and the 3 cash coins you can pick up during each race.

Adding to the fun is the fact that you race each track against 10 other mini cars creating a frantic 3 laps of action at high speed. The speed of the game is really affective and you mini car will appear to be zooming round at great speed and that’s even before you’ve started increasing the cars stats as you move through the tracks.

Talking of tracks when you start the game you get 5 different types of track to race around and it appears that the variety may continue into the next 10 too, however after the initial five there are two additional track styles with five course for each of them. The 5 night tracks are dark and moody and while the headlights of your mini cars look good you luckily don’t have to rely on them to see where you are going and the final 5 tracks are like high speed futuristic race tracks where the speed is cranked up once more.

The key to success in Racing Mania HD is anticipating the corners and, if you can do it, not taking your finger off of the accelerator as you do. This will take a while to do especially as the tracks get more twisty and narrow. Hitting the sides or going off track will be punished and as you try to maneuver your car out of a ditch, tree or barrier you may find the other 9 cars speeding past you to take the chequered flag.

There is a local high score table to track your best scores and the local network multi-player mode definitely adds additional value to the game but I did find it relativity easy to complete the 15 tracks in under an hour. I still think that I will come back to the game but a future update to add more tracks, achievements and especially an online multi player mode would make this fun 2D racer into a long term keeper.

Pros

• High speed mini car racing
• Multiple control options
• 10 car frantic racing

Cons

• Too easy
• Needs more tracks
• No online multi-player

Price: $3.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 31, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 135 MB
Language: English
Seller: Federico Bigliocca
© Dracoders
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.

Footballz! [rating: 3/5]

Developed by Inlogic Footballz! is a fun filled casual game for any age. Collect the golden balls whilst avoiding the enemy balls in this old arcade style game.

When you start the game you can decide from the 6 cute little characters which one you want to be. You move your player with the joypad on the bottom of your screen. You can have it which ever side you like depending if you are left or right handed. The control speaks for itself really pushing up, down, left or right moves your player in that direction. It moves very similar in the way you use to have the old arcade style games like pacman for example. The idea is to collect all the golden balls scattered around the pitch. Of course it is not that simple there are normal black and white balls also on the pitch but these are enemy balls and you have not to touch them. If you do you will lose some of your energy and if you keep doing it eventually the game will be over.

In addition to golden balls there are bonus balls to collect. Each offering different powerups. There are ones to increase your speed, become invincible or make the enemy balls roll slower. Also, there will be the occasional heart you can collect which gives you an extra life and worth while collecting to keep you in the game. Not all the bonus balls are good though. There is one that makes your enemy balls invisible but this will not help you in the slightest so watch out for which balls you collect.

Altogether there are four different terrains to play on grass, wet grass, clay and sand. Each one offering different levels of difficulty like you would really if playing on a real pitch. The game is also OpenFeint enabled so you can compete with your friends online and collect different achievements.

The graphics are basic there is not much you need on screen other than a few balls and a pitch so they are limited to what they can have, but the characters are nicely detailed right down to the hairstyles. There are a few sound effects when hitting the ball and completing the level.

The first few levels I completed quite easily and it did get a bit harder but to be honest I got a bit bored playing. The levels didn’t offer much in being different from each other apart from obstacles in different places and more balls. There is the different terrains to play in to make it harder but if it wasn’t for the Openfeint part there would not be much in the way of it being addictive enough to want to keep on playing and playing. For that reason I think it would probably grip a casual gamers attention and might leave serious game player unsatisfied and wanting for more.

The Good

• Arcade style
• OpenFeint enabled

The Not So Good

• Graphics are not brilliant.
• Limited replay value

Price: Free (iTunes Store)
Released: May 10, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 5.8 MB
Language: English
Seller: Inlogic Software
© 2010 Inlogic Software
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1 or later.