Ever thought chewing gum and adventure could make a deadly combination? If not, try AdvenChewers for iPhone and iPad from Warner Bros. to get a feel of a fast paced game where chewing bubble gum might just save your life.
You take on an adventurous trip to save your father from an evil general who obviously has evil plans. The back story plays very little role in the actual gameplay. Once you get started with the game your objective is to simply fly through the different environments while dodging obstacles.
The controls are very simple and the initial levels are slow-paced to help you get used to them. Your character chews on a bubble gum that gives it flying abilities. The ‘advenchewer’ keeps running continuously, you tap to make it jump or tap again and hold to inflate the bubble gum and fly. Your flying capability is limited to how big a bubble you inflate, hold for too long and the bubble will pop sending you down to the ground.
The continuous action of deciding to jump, flying or gliding as you dodge various obstacles makes the game quite challenging. In each level you need to find a maximum of three birds that also act as three extra lives. You lose a bird in the case of a failed attempt as you respawn back into the game. Summon a Phoenix by finding its feather and you can fly on its back as you become invincible.
As you continue your journey to find the evil general you will cross environments in different terrains. You start with a city view with high rise buildings and then progress to volcano, ice mountains and more. Flying goo and monkey robots act as obstacles in your path.
The complexity of levels will force you to equip yourself with special bubble gums. Use an electric gum to destroy anything that comes in your path, freeze gum to render everything powerless or soap gum to clean up the goo. There are many more special gums available in the game that manage to give you that extra edge in completing the levels.
Scoring is based on number of coins collected, obstacles smashed, birds remaining and powerups used. There are many achievements to unlock in the game that can keep you coming back for more.
The game comes with a single career mode. I was able to complete 5 game worlds in less than two days. Even though one could play the levels again to collect all three birds to boost score however, more game modes could have been added.
An endless mode where you keep flying as obstacles came in faster would have been a perfect fit. Online mode where you race against your friends ghost would have also been a great value addition. With just a single career mode the game has limited replay value.
In addition to special bubble gums you can also buy gadgets to give you an edge in the game. These gadgets are costlier than the gums. This is where in-app purchases come in. You can buy extra coins in order to buy these gadgets or buy any number of special gums to aid you in clearing the levels.
AdvenChewers takes on a classic genre and bundles it with unique twists to create an addictive game. However, with limited modes it manages to burst its own bubble rather quickly.
[rating: 4/5] Click to view slideshow. ]]> https://touchreviews.net/advenchewers-review/feed/ 0
Bastion is a game that has flown under the radar for me. A game that has been winning rave reviews since it was released on the Xbox and PC is now available on the iPad for $4.99. It’s a role playing game that see’s you take the role of young boy alone in what remains of the Bastion.
The game starts as it means to go on for as you wake the boy from his sleeps you’ll notice a couple of distinctive things happening. First is the way that the environment builds itself around you as you move through it. The second is the fact that all of your actions are narrated to you which makes you feel like you are in a movie.
Obviously if you’ve played Bastion before on either of the other platforms then you will know all this, however, if you are picking this up for the first time then both of these features are extremely engaging and set this aside from other similar games you may have played.
Your environment is full of weird and wonderful creatures that you must defeat that and for that purpose you have a range of weapons for you to use and upgrade. You’ll be taken through the process of how to use your weapons as well as navigate your environment across the first few minutes of the game that act as a tutorial as well.
You have a choice of controls too. One set will certainly lend itself to those who prefer a joystick as a virtual one is provided to move your character around, while the uses a control method designed specifically for the iPad as simply touching the screen will move your character to that locations. I used both controls and found them both good but ended up using the ‘classic’ controls most of the time.
You’re overall goal is to re-build the Bastion which was destroyed by an incident that goes by the name of the Calamity. The full story only reveals itself as you progress through the game, and much of this comes from the narrator.
The hand-painted environments look great and clearly a lot of detail has been put into them. That being said the you don’t get too long to pay attention to them as there is a focus on action in this role playing game that will see you fighting, running and avoiding for much of your time in this world.
Upgrading your weapons is key to survival and progression and while you can only have 2 weapons active at any one time you can switch between them at will. Although attack will get you so far you also have to be quick on your feet to defend too. Defending can be done using your shield but also by dashing out of the way.
Of course running and dashing around on a suspended world brings its own risks as you would find yourself falling of the edge of the Bastion. Luckily falling off the Bastion only results in a slight loss of health before you find yourself back in the heat of the action again.
Bastion may not have the complexity of some RPG games, but don’t let that stop you from picking up what is a wonderful title for what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in depth and enjoyment.
For added fun and additional replay value a ‘Plus’ mode is opened up for you once you’ve completed the game and the Game Center integration with leaderboards and 20 plus achievements will keep you going for bragging rights with your friends.
Bastion is a great introduction to RPG’s and yet stands on it’s own too, so if you’re new to RPG’s, new to Bastion or an avid player of RPG’s in general then dig out that $5 and splash it out on Bastion today, as long as you don’t have the original iPad which it won’t work on.
[rating: 5/5]
IllusionLabs aren’t strangers to App Store success, with TouchGrind and Labyrinth just two of their titles that have been big hits they now attempt again with their new title Blast A Way. Blast A Way for iPhone and iPad is a colorful physics puzzler where your task is to rescue the 3 Boxies that have been left strewn across all 5 worlds and 80 levels.
So how do achieve this task? Its quite simple really, the answer is bombs! 6 different types of bombs to be exact that will blow things up, transport you, change colors and even rebuild previously exploded blocks. All of these actions will enable you to move around the levels and collect the previously mentioned Boxies who are stranded and are waiting for you to pick them up.
The physics of the game are pitch perfect. You navigate the levels with a variety of touch controls which allow you to zoom, rotate and focus on any area of the beautifully designed levels. You can then move your character by drawing a path for them to walk along and final you can throw a bomb by touching where you want it to land and choosing the angle to throw it.
Bomb placement is where the real skill is required, direction, angle and power will all influence the final location of the bomb and where the bomb lands will influence the effect that the bomb has on the Boxies, the environment and even you, especially if you are standing too close to the bomb when it explodes.
It’s nice that you aren’t restricted in the number of bombs that you have at your disposal especially as on some levels getting the bomb to where you need it to land can be pretty tricky.
The 5 worlds are themed on different materials including wood, metal, plastic and fabric and while the structure of the worlds are similar being all made out of a variety of geometric shapes the different materials make them look great. This is certainly the case on the retina displays of the iPhone 4S and the new iPad where they pop off the screen.
It’s frustrating that as a universal app there is no progression synchronization between devices and while there is Game Center integration the 7 achievements are a little disappointing and it would have been nice to see a little more creativity here.
Blast A Way is a wonderful new physics puzzler, at $4.99 it’s a little on the pricey side but you can always try 20 levels for free via Blast A Way Free to see if you like it before you buy it.
[rating: 4/5]
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/blast-a-way-review/feed/ 0
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Play at Home with Daniel is the rather long title for a new universal app from PBS Kids for preschoolers. As a father with a two year old daughter this app was a perfect excuse to spend some time with the two things I love, my daughter and my iPad.
My daughter loves my iPad and so getting her to take a look at a new app wasn’t difficult and while she hasn’t seen the original Daniel Tiger show before she was instantly engaged with the app as it launched.
The app is split into four distinct areas and accessing them is via four large buttons with images of the four areas on them for easy identification. There is the Doctor, Bedtime, Bathroom and Sticker Book all with there own set of activities and interactions for your child to interact with.
When playing as the doctor with Daniel as the patient you’ll get to interact with Daniel as you give him a jab, check his heartbeat and check out his tongue by dragging the instruments to him from the side of the screen. You can even give him a sticker to show what a good tiger he’s been!
On in the bathroom you can help Daniel brush his teeth, wash his hands and flush the toilet while in the bedroom you can walk through the steps to help Daniel go to sleep including giving him his blanket & teddy, turning off the light and signing him a lullaby. All of which can be done by simply tapping on the screen.
This is the one complaint that I have about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and that is there is a combination of controls, some just require a tap, while others need a tap and drag and this inconsistency can prove a little frustrating at times.
The final location is the Sticker Book where your child can interact with the four environments and create their own stories by placing virtual stickers all over the screen. These stickers include all of Daniels’ friends, furniture, artifacts, animals and other items from Daniel Tigers world.
Sticker placement is remembered as you navigate between the various scenes but the only option you have if you want to redo something is to erase everything and start again.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Play at Home with Daniel is a fun and engaging title for your younger children to play with. It’s easy for them to navigate and to control and what’s even better is that the audio isn’t going to drive you as the parent around the bend!
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Play at Home with Daniel is a universal app and is available for $1.99 in the app store now.
[rating: 4/5]
Lost Cities is based on a board game of the same name by a leading name in the board game industry, one Reiner Knizia. I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of him either but after a little research I found that unbeknownst to me I had played one of his games before, a board game based on The Lord of the Rings.
I’d enjoyed that game many times and another good thing going for this iPhone app was the fact that it’s made by TheCodingMonkeys that made one of my favorite iOS games, Carcassonne. With that said, Lost Cities has a lot to live up to for me.
Lost Cities is part board game, part card game where you play either against a computer or GameCenter opponent to score as many points as you can by discarding your cards along 5 color coded lanes.
You start with 8 cards of various colors and you can place any of them down on a corresponding colored lane and then it’s your opponents turn to do the same on their side of the table. On your next turn you can either add to your existing card or start a new lane.
You earn points for every card you play based on it’s face value but before you start any lane you can play a coin card which will double the value of any cards that you play after it. The dilemma though is that starting each lane reduces your score by 20 points and playing a coin card on it will double that 20 point deduction to 40 points. You can do this up to 3 times on any lane and so the decision to be made is do you have the cards to make up for the negative points.
Make sense? It’s ok if it doesn’t as there is an in game tutorial where one of the AI opponents will talk you through the rules and gameplay. But once you get the basics whether you are playing against the AI, a friend or a random GameCenter opponent the challenge keeps on coming and it’s easy to play multiple games at once as you are notified both in game and via the iPhone Notification Center whenever it’s your next turn.
I was initially concerned due to the fact that my color blindness caused problems when attempting to differentiate between the five sets of cards, however the latest update took care of this and now High Contrast Mode can be enabled from the settings menu to make the cards more distinctive for people like me.
The controls are straightforward and intuitive and there are plenty of stats to keep track of your progress, from leveling up my completing certain achievements to the Game Center integration that includes Leaderboards and a little under 100 achievements.
If you are a card game fan then Lost Cities is a must have title for you iPhone, and if you love quality games too then that’s another reason to grab it. At $3.99 it’s not the cheapest card in the App Store but quality sometimes cost money and in the case of Lost Cities it’s worth every penny.
[rating: 5/5]
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/lost-cities-must-have-card-board-game/feed/ 0
Earlier this year we reviewed .vs Racing and thoroughly enjoyed it, the only flaw being the lack of online multiplayer and Game Center integration. Now though VS. Racing 2 has been released promising to address some of those issues and a lot more.
VS. Racing 2 is a top down arcade racer where you race your tiny car around 36 different tracks. Your car can, and will need to be, upgraded based on the coins that you earn competing in races. Don’t worry if you don’t like to have to tinker with your car though as all you can tweak is your speed, acceleration and off-road capabilities.
There are three modes to the racing, first up is the standard single player fare where you unlock tracks as you progress through winning races. Online multiplayer has also been addressed although this is not real time racing. Instead you get to set a time around the track and then challenge a friend to beat your ghost time. It’s an improvement on the original but still no replacement for full online multiplayer racing.
Finally there is local multiplayer racing and this time there is the addition power-ups that you can pick up on track and unleash on your opponents including mines, oil and speed boosts to name but a few. This is a nice addition should you have the occasion where you have a group of friends available to play locally.
Once again the controls work well with three options available for you to pick from, these are virtual buttons, virtual steering wheel and the accelerometer. All of these are work well and it will really be down to personal preference as to which one works for you. What would be nice if it was possible to control the sensitivity of these controls too.
While the controls work well within the game the same can’t be said for the navigation menu’s which are sluggish. Sluggishness is also a problem in the loading of each level which considering the racing tracks are so small take a long time to load.
The tracks do look nice though, they show a good level of detail around the tracks should you ever find the time to look at it as you race around the track at speed. There are also multiple surfaces which directly affect how the car handles which you will have to take into consideration unless you want to go from 1st to 4th in a single corner.
With the addition of Game Center achievements as well as the ghost online racing this is certainly an improvement on .vs Racing, however the sluggish navigation and long load times let it down.
If you want to give it a try then VS. Racing 2 is available in the App Store for $0.99.
[rating: 3.5/5]
VS. Racing for iPhone is the first game from Maciek Drejak Labs and is a top down racer which reminds me of the old school classic Super Sprint.
The game gives you a top down view of the racing track with you and your opponents taking up just a handful of pixels as you race around a variety of tracks that twist and turn around the screen.
The tracks are to scale with the miniature cars but despite their size they provide lots of detail, tricky corners, fast straights and various surfaces that affect the handling of the cars.
The game has a narrative in the single player mode where you play the role of Ryan, a rookie racing driver who you have to bring up through the ranks of five championships on your way to the World Championship Finals.
While the narrative is fun it’s pretty irrelevant to the racing and luckily it doesn’t get in the way of it either. In fact you can move from race to race pretty quickly which means the action keeps coming thick and fast.
You have a choice of controls for your car which includes both touch and accelerometer controls. My weapon of choice was the touch controls which I found very responsive. You only need to worry about steering as acceleration is automatic.
Included with the auto-acceleration is a speed boost which helps you catch up if you are running behind the leader, however this is a double edge sword as this speed boost also applies to your opponents so large leads can be eaten into pretty quickly.
This is no bad thing though as it keeps all of the races exciting right up until the last corner and while this may be a little frustration the speed in which you can replay the race means that you can get your revenge very quickly.
The multi-player options are local bluetooth & wifi and Facebook leaderboards which includes a Ghost Mode so that you can races against your friends ghost cars. These are fun alternatives to the single player mode but GameCenter integration and online multi-player would be nice additions.
If you enjoy racing games of all descriptions you won’t be disappointed with VS. Racing especially if you can grab it while it’s still free. With future free updates also promised this could be a real bargain.
[rating: 4/5]What we like
What to know
Coming up with original ideas must be a problem for an App Store that is flooded with original content. That being said Lipasto Games have done just that in the form of Billy the Painter HD for iPad.
The painting in question in this app is the floor of an old factory and the top down view provides you with a view of the different levels and how much of the floor still needs to be painted by you.
Painting the floor couldn’t be easier, simply tap the screen and paint will begin to radiate from the touch point until it touches any area that has been already painted.
This is where the challenge comes in as each puzzle has a different shaped floor that needs to be painted and so as the paint radiates out it can quickly stop if not placed appropriately and this can cause you to lose a life if you don’t reach the required percentage.
The trick to progress through the levels is to use multiple touch points as sources of the radiating paint and in combination with that the timing of these touch points.
While paint % is the overall dictator of your success you can improve your points score by painting of spots of old paint that are randomly placed on each level.
The whole style of the game is beautifully presented throughout and while the only graphical variety in the levels is the blue paint that is used in the bonus round that comes every 10 games this is not a distraction from a great looking game.
Sound effects are minimal but the music is appropriate to the game and is not annoying either and I didn’t find myself having to mute it at any time which is always nice.
The gameplay doesn’t allow you to pick specific levels that you want to play, instead you start each game at the beginning and progress through the levels until your 3 lives are lost. At this point your score is added to the local leaderboard. Why both options of game-play aren’t available I’m not sure.
As mentioned previously the game’s leaderboards are only local and there are no achievements to unlock via GameCenter integration either.
Billy the Painter HD is a beautiful, playable, challenging but ultimately limited due to it’s limited options. Perhaps some of these will be addressed in a future update.
[rating: 3/5]What we like
What to know
A game that’s been floating around the top of the charts for a while now is Ski Safari so we thought it was about time that we took a look at what’s making this 99 cent universal app so popular.
In Ski Safari you are faced with controlling Sven down a steep snow covered mountain side in a desperate attempt to avoid being swallowed up by the avalanche that is tearing down behind him.
From a controls point of view this task is easy, tapping the screen will cause sven to jump while tapping and holding either side of the screen will enable sven to perform forward and backward somersaults. The actions are all helpful for avoiding obstacles such as piles of rocks but also to help boost your speed by grabbing and riding with penguins, birds and the odd abominable snowman!
The action comes at you very fast as your speed down the mountain side attempting to keep out of the clutches of the foreboding avalanche that is chasing you, so quick reactions are a must if you are going to keep yourself alive.
If you are familiar with games like Jetpack Joyride and Subway Surfers you’ll also be familiar with the process of having mini goals set each time you take to the slopes. This can range from performing a double backflip or picking up 3 penguins to flying with a bird for X distance to tumbling for a given amount of time.
All this adds to the basic game premise of travelling as far as you can before you get swallowed up in a cloud of snow. These goals keep the game interesting and while all this is going on you also pick up coins which you can then spend on purchasing items such as coin magnets, costumes and rockets which will boost the distance you travel.
The key to a successful run is using the variety of animals that frequent the mountain side to boost the distance you travel and your ability to survive hitting the obstacles. If you manage to fly with the the bird, ride the abominable snowman and tame the wild wolves you should be on to a good score and even open.
The cartoon graphics lend themselves well to the snowy environment and even though you won’t have time to appreciate it as you speed down the slope the background detail of having other mountains with animals running down them is a nice detail.
If you haven’t joined the Ski Safari party {$.99, App Store} yet then there is no time like the present. It’s a fun game which you can use as a quick pick up and play title when you have a spare five minutes only to find that 3 hours later you are still playing it!
[rating: 5/5]What we like
What to know
One of the most eagerly anticipated games has finally made its way to the iPhone and iPad. But while the wait is finally over it may not be what some players of the massively successful franchise want.
Burnouts first journey onto iOS is in the from of the mini game, Burnout Crash, that has already made it onto the PlayStation and XBox Arcade. So instead of a full-on 3D crash-fest of mangled metal, you have the pleasure of playing God, (or should that be the Devil), in a crashtastic onslaught of exploding cars, trucks and every other type of vehicle you can think of.
The 2D top-down view looks great, across a massive 18 different junctions the detail pops of the screen and the whole environment is interactive so not only can you destroy the vehicles but also blow up the surrounding buildings, parked cars and pretty much anything that burns.
Each of the 18 junctions have three different game modes so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to hone your skills and have plenty to keep coming back for as each of the have 5 stars to be collected based on high scores and other side-goals such as performing special moves or destroying certain items.
The 3 modes are Rush Hour, Pile Up and Road Block and while they all take place on the same junctions they require slightly different techniques to succeed. Rush Hour puts you up against the clock to destroy as much as you can while Pile Up tasks you to crash as many vehicles as possible and then keep them blazing. Road Block meanwhile is as simple as blocking any vehicles from driving off the screen, lose 5 and it’s game over.
All of the modes provide special vehicles too that offer a variety of challenges. Stop a Pizza delivery truck and you get to spin the lotto wheel a win a bonus item while stopping the bank truck will rain down bags of money on you.
Like all great games Burnout Crash is easy to learn but difficult to master. Controls aid this as all that’s required is a swipe to move your car or truck while a tap of your vehicle will cause it to explode once the burnout bar is maximized of course.
There are 7 cars and trucks to unlock and each one offer a slightly different balance of power and control, switching between these vehicles can offer different opportunities to grab all 5 stars on each level and you will often find yourself heading back to earlier levels with better cars to grab all the available stars.
While causing all of this mayhem you are blasted with a cacophony sound and a great set of songs from the 80’s. I certainly recommend playing this game with headphones in to get the best sound experience and so that you don’t annoy anyone sitting around you!
Unfortunately the multi-player option that they provide in the form of Autolog, is a little disappointing. It certainly works and you can send challenges to your friends but no ability to play against other players in real time is a real disappointment. And while GameCenter integration is included there are no leaderboards, just 20 achievements to be unlocked.
That being said, I do keep coming back to Burnout Crash to unlock more levels and to go back and gain more stars, it could just be so much better if the social aspects of the game worked better.
Burnout Crash is a universal game and is available in the App Store, despite its shortcomings it’s still a recommended purchase.
[rating: 4.5/5]What we like
What to know
If as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the people over at Zynga must be very flattered indeed and must be doing something right. The latest company to be inspired by the success of Zynga’s ‘…with Friends’ series is Stofle Designs with their version of Yahtzee called ‘Dice with Buddies’.
Despite the obvious influences Stofle haven’t rested on their laurels, instead they have produced a highly polished and playable game with both turn based online and local game-play for two-people.
If you have ever played Yahtzee before then you will feel perfectly at home in Dice with Buddies. The game consists of rolling 5 dice to complete different sets. From 3, 4 and 5 of a kind and groups of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6’s to straights, full house and the always useful chance option if you’ve not played Yahtzee before a basic understanding of the hands in Poker will also see you through.
The game is nicely laid out, you can see all your available combinations listed down the page and your opponents alongside them too. This allows you to easily see what combinations you have remaining and how you are doing compared to your opponents. While the layout is usable yet compact on the iPhone on the iPad with its larger real estate is even better with no scrolling required.
The updates come thick and fast with push notifications working well to inform you when it’s your turn to play and you can have multiple games running at the same time. In game notifications are all well managed meaning that you don’t have to navigate away from the game screen to play multiple games.
The game integrates with Facebook allowing you to easily play with your Facebook friends and brag about your success to your wall. There is no Twitter or GameCenter integration though which is a shame as achievements, if not leaderboards, would be a nice addition. There are in-game stats though so you can see how well you are doing including such as your highest score, average score, wins and wins percentage.
Of course no game would be where it is without in app purchases and Dice with Buddies is no different. You can buy bonus rolls from 99c to $100 (seriously!) and these will enable you to have extra rolls of your dice to get the combinations you need, however, these are certainly not required and not buying them certainly doesn’t make the game any poorer.
Dice with Buddies is a universal game which is a great feature if you have both devices, and the game comes in both paid and free versions. If you’re a fan of these types of social games and prefer numbers to letters then Dice with Buddies is a must.
[rating: 4.5/5]What to know
In the world of gaming anything goes, so a back story of a group of sharks hanging out happily in a bathtub before being joined by a noisy group of rubber ducks and helping them take revenge on them is perfectly normal, right?
Luckily, reality is not a requirement in most games these days, in fact quite often the more bizarre the story the better, and that’s certainly the case for Shark Dash.
The game uses the now traditional 3 star rule to progress through the almost 100 levels over 4 different environments, (i.e. bathtubs), and these are achieved by eating all the ducks, collecting all the coins and doing this within the given number of shots.
Each level is played within the confines of a bathtub and is viewed as a sideways cut through including, bubbles, plughole, and all of the usually bathtime accoutrements that you would expect to see around the side of a bath. The graphics are solid and are certainly in keeping with the cute and fun style of the game as is the music which in is light and jaunty.
Controls are easy to learn but the levels can be difficult to master especially if you aim to get 3 stars in every single level. Collect the coins and stars is a simple task of pulling back on the shark’s tail and launching him in the direction that you desire. Your shark will pick up coins and the rubber ducks as he passes over through them, ducks will also float along the top of the water so as long as you knock them into the water and there is nothing blocking their path then they will willingly swim into your jaws.
As you progress through the 100 levels additional obstacles will be put between you and the ducks, these include salt sticks, soap, pipes, chains and a host of other things which all affect the physics of the game. The physics are additionally affected by the water in the bath so you will have to take that into consideration if your plan of attack takes you underwater, rather than over it.
Some of the objects that you’ll need to overcome will require sharks with different skills and as you progress you’ll get to unlock Sawy, Hammy and Scuby who all have skills associated to their names.
As with the majority of these games, if you don’t want to put the work into unlocking all of the levels by competing all the stars and earning coins then you can purchase coins to spend on unlocking levels, sharks and undo’s that will allow you to rewind a shot it didn’t quite go according to plan.
As if completing the 100 levels wasn’t enough there are 24 achievements to unlock and another 24 missions to keep you entertained. Unfortunately these don’t synchronise with GameCenter so there’s no way to compare your scores and achievements with your friends.
Shark Dash is a universal app and is available from the App Store now for just 99 cents. Grab it now for hours of fun, with a bite!
[rating: 4.5/5]What to know:
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.
[rating: 4/5]What to know:
There appears to be a new darling of the iOS world, certainly according to Twitter at least, and that is in the form of Clear, a brand new ToDo management app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
As with all good apps it launches with quick 7 step overview of the app that gets you started and gives you the tools to explore the app. Clear for iPhone also starts you off with 7 items that help train you on how to interact with them.
Swipe left or right to delete or complete a task while you can pull down on the list or pulling apart to add a new task to the top or in the middle of your existing items.
There are 3 levels to the app that you can drill through. The uppermost level includes the settings, tips & tricks and themes which will come back to later. From this level you can drill down to your lists either by tap the list bar or by swiping up on the screen.
The same can be done to access the individual items in the list, either tap them or swipe up on the screen. After just a few minutes on the app it all becomes very intuitive and you’ll find it becomes second nature in next to no time.
As mentioned previously Clear also has multiple Theme’s installed including a bonus one for those of you who have Tweetbot installed, and after all why wouldn’t you? The default theme is called Heat Map and your items are prioritized using color, The darker the red the more important the task is and as you re-order them by tapping and dragging them up and down the screen the color is updated too.
As I am colorblind I always get a little concerned when ever an application uses color as a navigation tool. However, because each of the themes simply uses different shades of the same color it works perfectly, even for those inflicted with color site deficiencies!
It’s the simple things that make Clear for iPhone {$.99} so easy to pick up and make it so usable, such as the fact that if you create a list or item that is blank it will automatically delete it and the fact that there are multiple ways to navigate the app.
Clear is not going to be for you though if you want to track large tasks as each item can only be 28 characters long and there is no ability to add notes. Not that it ever claims to be such a thing, it’s just worth noting that Clear is going to help you manage the little things in life and not projects!
But it’s that simplicity that makes Clear for iPhone so great, adding, clearing and deleting tasks has never been so easy and enjoyable, you’ll end up creating tasks for yourself just so that you can complete them!
What we like:
What to know:
Commit is a simple app that helps you with committing to something. Features are not what this app is about. Its about committing to something and tracking it to provide motivation. The idea is to keep track of how well you are doing on your commitment.
The simple interface of Commit for iPhone is what makes it so appealing to me. When I think about committing to something, the trouble I have is staying motivated. Commit aids in this process by tracking just how many days you’ve done what you’ve committed to.
Commit’s alerting system reminds you to track or do the task that you have committed to do which is great. The process is as simple as typing in what you want to commit to and you have the option to set up a reminder. Commit will ask you if you have done what it is that you have committed to and if you have you click “Yes”, the end. This is clutch in that when you’re 
committing to do something everyday, you don’t want to have to commit to a multi-step task to track that you did it. You need something as quick as putting a check mark on a sheet which is what Commit does.
As I mentioned before, this app is not going to wow you with the features. It is going to seem dead simple and that’s the idea. Commit will give you an app to check commitments that is easy to pop in and pop out of without getting distracted. I have committed to things like writing a review a day and changing at least one of my newborn son’s diapers a day.
[rating: 4/5]
What we like:
What to know:
Gallery
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/commit-review/feed/ 0
Brought to you by Qubic Games My Little Garden is a fun garden simulator for your iPhone. Plant and grow flowers in your magical garden completing tasks and achievements along the way.
You are in control of the little garden fairy. Help her plant flowers and vegetables that she can sell or use in tasks to earn coins. To start with you are given a small piece of the garden. In this area start planting flowers to sell.
When you have a flower starting to grow then you have to start looking after it. You do this by giving it water, light and fertilizer. When you tap on the plant you are growing it will display icons for you to choose what action you want to do. Tap on the one you need and the little fairy will help.
You then look after the plant keeping it happy until it is fully grown. When it is ready you then have the option to sell the plant or if you have accepted a task, use it for that. You do not have to do tasks but they will earn you coins which you can use to expnad your garden and buy more items. So for example one of the tasks I had was from a visiting hamster who needed some carrots to be delivered. So once you have accepted this task you then need to start growing that product and be ready to give him his order. Once you do you will be rewarded for it and also unlock more plants.
The coins you earn can be used to buy from the range of 18 different plants. You can also choose to decorate your garden with stones and ornaments like gnomes and a magic bench. There are many to select and all costing different amounts. There are also pets that you can purchase. These are all very friendly and helpful in their own unique way. The cat helps increase the water, light and fertilizer a plant has and then there are other pets like frogs who will sprinkle the plants with water for you. You can also use magic on your plants which speeds up the growing process. Magic rain, Magic sun and Murky mist.
All the meus for each section are kept on a side bar to the right and it is very easy to use and follow. If you do need some help or forget a task then there is a diary. There you will find a help section and a reminder of the current task you are doing. You can also use this menu section to purchase more coins, gold or hearts via in-app purchases.
The game is suitable for all ages. The animals and plants are animated and make great cheery, happy noises. It would definitely appeal to a young person. You can design the garden as big or as small as you like. So how challenging you make it is up to you. It is a great game to play that is a refreshing change from the usual farmville type of games currently available. There is no need to be popping in and out of the game constantly to see if your plant is growing. You can play it at your own pace.
The only thing that I could see players requesting is the ability to visit friends and their gardens. This could be done by adding Game Center integration and then tasks and achievements could be added in there to compete with your friends.
Touch Reviews [rating: 4/5]
What we like:
What to know:
Brought to you by Manipal Digital Systems Hangman Hollywood is just like the classic game of Hangman. With this particular game you choose from a selection of genres from different Hollywood films.
When you first start the game if you want to choose a certain genre you will have to go to options first otherwise the game will randomly play all. Within the options you can choose from the nine available which one you want to play. Just tap to highlight them.
Once you have done that it will then take you to the game to start playing. Soon as the game is displayed you have 60 seconds to guess the word. Your time starts to decrease straight away. For anyone who has never played hangman before, how to play is easy. You must guess the word and in this case, something related to a hollywood film. You do this by guessing one letter at a time. If it is right it will place the letter in the word, if it is wrong you lose one of your nine lives. If you lose all your lives you will meet an early death. The same goes if you run out of time. So guess quickly and you will live.
The little hanging man makes happy little noises if you get it right. If you get it wrong he doesn’t sound happy at all. Which is to be expected when he’s got a noose tighting around his neck.
The game is free and is great for a quick pick up and play when you need to kill five minutes. It does have advertisements at the bottom which you do get used to. It would be nice though if there was an option to pay to go ad free.
At the moment the game does not have any Game Center integretion so there is therefore no challenge with other players. The game doesn’t even have a score board to keep record of the best scored time. At the moment you just play and have to remember how quick you did it. So while it is great to play on your own there is nothing there to keep the player interested and coming back for more. With this kind of feature added it could become a fun and challenging game.
What we like:
What to know:
[rating: 4.5/5]
Mini Motor Racing Review: I’ve always been a fan of racing games, especially on iPhone and iPad, the realism of Real Racing 2, the frantic action of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and the top down rocket-fest that is Death Rally, I’ve liked them all but also always looking forward to seeing the latest thing. In this case it’s Mini Motor Racing from The Binary Mill.
Mini Motor Racing (MMR) is another top down racer where it’s all about speed, speed and more speed and small but detailed tracks in a variety of surfaces and weather conditions.
Obviously I wanted to dive straight in and after a visually impressive intro sequence I jumped into a quick race. There are a couple of control mechanisms and the first I was introduced to was a virtual steering wheel that I didn’t get on with and sadly came last in my first race. After that though I changed to the second control option and the wins started coming.
Moving into the Career Mode I choose my first car, gave it a paint job and headed out onto the track again. This time each race rewards you with a cash prize and extra money can be picked up along the way along with additional nitro’s that can help give you the edge over your 5 virtual opponents.
The tracks look great, they are full of detail and the light reflects off of the track and cars beautifully, not that you will have to much time to look at it as your speed around the track fighting for first place. The range of weather and day/night affects add extra quality to the overall look of the game too.
Each cup consists of 4 tracks, with the game containing 20 different tracks in total, and completing the cup will move you onto the next one. While I was able to progress though many of the cups without having to spend my hard earned winnings on upgrades I soon found that I was unable to keep up and had to splash the cash on both better cars and upgrades.
Each car handles differently and so a couple of races may be required to pick up the feel of the new car. Add the car upgrades and the paint jumps and you get a car the looks and handles just as you like.
As you progress through your career you’ll unlock tracks and cars inspired by Fruit Ninja and the holiday season, the Fruit Ninja tracks especially are awesome and it’s great to see game cross-overs.
While the huge career mode will keep you going for quite a while as will the local wifi and bluetooth multi-player modes which will enable you to race your dream machines against your friends for Mini Motor Racing bragging rights.
Those bragging rights can also be fought over via the Game Center integration which provides leaderboards for all 22 tracks and 16 achievements, all of which means you should find yourself playing Mini Motor Racing for quite a while.
One news new feature for those of you playing MMR on iOS 5 is the ability to synchronise your data to the iCloud so that you can play between multiple devices and not lose any progress. Unfortunately however as this is not a universal application you won’t be able to sync your data between your iPhone and iPad and with no obvious differences between the two versions that is a little frustrating.
At $1.99 Mini Motor Racing will provide a fun, challenging and entertaining addition to your iPhone collection of games and comes highly recommended.
What we like:
What to know:
ParkBuddy Review: Who hasn’t gone somewhere, whether it be a concert, sporting event or to a mall to shop and forgot where they parked? ParkBuddy is an app that looks to remedy this problem with an easy to use interface.
ParkBuddy keeps things very simple while providing all of the necessary features that one might want when trying to remember where they parked. When I used to go shopping with my mom, she would always forget where we parked and I’d have to intervene and remind her. I often thought, what would happen if i wasn’t here, this is where ParkBuddy saves the day.
The true beauty of ParkBuddy is in the simplicity. You launch the application. You are greated by a few choices: select mode of transportation, if you’d like to take a picture, take notes and finally “Park”. I selected “Car”, took a picture of my parking spot, wrote down the parking spot number and then hit “Park”. When I hit “Park” it takes my latitude and longitude and stores them for when I return. You’ll then see the “Current Parking” screen which allows you see all of the things you have input into the app for your current parking spot.
When you select “Return”, you will see a map that shows where you are in relation to your parking spot. Two options appear that allow you to “Navigate To My Vehicle” or delete this parking instance. Selecting the navigate option will take you to the Maps app and give you directions on how to get back to your vehicle and all of the optional routes. I thought this was very nice especially for those who live in metro areas. As you can tell, the app give you three main options on how to track where you park but I think its the only three you might need and they are all rolled up into one app.
I used the app today at a local park and it was great. It was dark so the picture I took was not very useful and the parking spot doesn’t have numbered parking slots so the mapping feature was my saving grace but the same could be said for the other two features in other situations.
I am going to be gifting this application to my mom and my wife as an early Christmas present so I don’t have to worry about them getting lost when they go to the mall anymore.
What we like:
What to know:
Gallery
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/parkbuddy-review-iphone/feed/ 0
[rating: 4.5/5]
Evertales Review: A great fantasy based game that seems to have found a sweet spot suited to the small screen.
Evertales {$1.99} is the story of heros battling enemies. Whether warrior, archer, or wizard you have a choice of characters, and their weapons, available to thwart attacks. What makes Evertales distinct is that you can switch your hero at any time. You will need to understand the strengths of each character and call upon their special talents at appropriate times to clear the obstacles in your path.
It’s part of the opening narration, but your overall mission really isn’t that clear. But if you’re familiar with fantasy games you’ll be comfortable setting out to do quests and battle bosses. The game starts out with a few short instructions on how to control your character and moves quickly from the tutorial mode. Your controls consist of your attack, a jump, and switching characters. Simple enough, but the challenge is to deploy them at the right time.
A notable feature of the game is that it allows you to choose between action buttons and swipe controls as a control method. You may find you prefer one or the other depending on what you are used to. It is nice to have the choice as controls can make or break a game experience. Some iOS-based games try to have identical copies of the game interface from other platforms, which sometimes doesn’t work so well. Evertales has stripped out all the unnecessary interface components but left the right amount to make it feel clean and simple.
One of the best parts of the game is the sound effects. The soundbed is mostly natural sounds, but the utterances of the characters and the tone of the narrator is distinctly humorous. The environments you find yourself in are beautiful and intriguing. The visuals are detailed and compelling, but not overwhelming.
Evertales is a fantasy game. As a fantasy game it is implied that it should let you escape into its world. Evertales manages to do this with its touch of humor and simple controls that allow you to focus on the characters and their opponents. It’s going to be a place to lose yourself time and time again.
What we like:
What to know:
[rating: 3/5]
Space Tap Review: A game of traffic control where you steer ships clear of each other while trying to land at spaceports.
This game gets right to it. There’s no tutorial, orientation, or help screen to get you going. You start right in with a planet with a spaceport right in the middle of the screen and soon ships start moving in from the edges. It is not clear at all what you are supposed to do. Drag your finger across the screen and you draw a path that a ship will follow, but follow where? It took a trip to the developer’s website to have any clue at all what was going on.
Once the few facts available regarding the game were found, it became a little clearer that the main reason to “steer” the ships was to keep them from crashing into each other. They seem to find the docks themselves, although you can accelerate that by steering them that direction. Your objective is to get as many ships as possible safely into the docks before ships crash on the approach.
With the basics down, finally, the game strategy becomes more reactive. Watch the ships and anticipate when they may cross paths with another and change their course to avoid crashing. Simple enough, but it gets strenuous when there’s a screen full of ships with no clear path to safety.
The game has a bit of a simplistic feel to it, some of which comes from the uncluttered graphics. The spacey music and crash sounds also seem a bit simplistic, but set the right tone for the game. The colors are a bit muted, not the common primary color scheme, which almost gives it a bit of a retro feel.
If you like line-drawing games, Space Tap {$0.99} is a decent challenge. If you’re new to them, you may be a bit lost and may want to try another from the genre first. This game could be much improved with just a few screens of introduction to get players off on the right foot.
What we like:
What to know:
Twittelator Neue Review: Anyone who spends any amount of time with Twitter Apps on a iOS device is bound to have come across the name Twittelator before through their various incarnations of their Twittelator apps. Now though they have a new bow to their quiver with the introduction of Twitterlator Neue for the iPhone.
Setting up your account is as simple as entering your Twitter username and password and within seconds you’ve be seeing your timeline in Twittelator Neue clean, clear and fast interface.
The main timeline flows beautifully up and down the screen in both vertically and horizontally and also includes some simple, subtle yet effective animations when you refresh your timeline or fully load the inline displayed pictures, yes, that’s right, inline displayed photos.
This is one of the best features of the application. Any tweet that includes a picture will display a slice of the image below it. This image will also scroll as the timeline scrolls and then by tapping it the image will open up full screen, it works great.
You can also turn on a feature where the profile image of all the Twitter ‘celebrities’ will also show in the same way, however if you follow a lot of them it will bet very repetitive and unnecessary.
The other great feature, that in my opinion every Twitter app should include, is the inclusion of Tweet Marker which lets you synchronise your timeline between devices. This is invaluable if you use Twitter across multiple devices, as long as all the apps use Tweet Marker of course!
Scrolling between your Timeline, Direct Messages, Mentions is just a swipe away as they appear as multiple panels that you can slide between. You can also add additional panels to your time line such as Searches or Lists and swipe between those too.
All the normal features are included including the ability to post to multiple Twitter accounts at the same time and Facebook but it’s the small things that really impress me about this app such as the subtle sounds as you navigate around and the animations that give this app a real professional feel to it.
Unfortunately for me at least there is one major omission from this app that will probably prevent it from being my goto Twitter application and that’s push notifications. For me these are a requirement, I want to know immediately I’m responded to or I receive a Direct Message and so without that I’m always going to have to keep a Twitter app on my iPhone that provides that.
With all that said though I won’t be deleting Twitterlator Neue from my iPhone, it’s speed, sleek design and in-line pictures make it just to good to give up.
If you want to find out more you can head over to www.twittelator.com to watch a video of the app or get it from the App Store here for just $1.99.
What we like:
What to know:
Gallery
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/twittelator-neue-review-twitter-iphone/feed/ 0
[rating: 4.5/5]
Snappy Dragons Review: A game where dragons and wizards do NOT peacefully coexist and fireballs are the solution. The baby dragons have been kidnapped by the mean wizards and are being held hostage. A wizard guards each baby, and there are a few extra wizards around for more “protection.” Your job is to take out the wizardss with your fireballs and set the babies free again.
Your challenge is more difficult than it first appears, as the terrain itself is an obstacle. Water, mountains, floating forms that move, and other defenses present themselves along the way. And you only have so many fireballs to work with to save the babies.
The gameplay is a bit like Angry Birds and a bit like Mario. The challenges get more complex and each of your fireballs must be deployed effectively to master the level. There are a variety of environments you will find yourself in, everything from steaming jungle to frozen tundra. These provide some nice visual variety with their bright colors and cute themes.
The sound environment is mostly nature sounds with a measure or two of music every now and then. It’s a nice change from the soundtracks found in many other games. The sound effects provide good feedback when you throw your fireballs and they hit an obstacle.
Snappy Dragons {$0.99} is a cute, well-designed game that is difficult enough to make you work for it and want to come back until you’ve solved the puzzle. There’s plenty of variety too to make it worth the price.
What we like:
What to know:
[rating: 4/5]
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
What to know
[rating: 4.5/5]
Blosics Review: A new game in the Angry Birds style that has you flinging balls at the blocks to knock them out of the picture. The slingshot action is a familiar game interface, but Blosics does it up just a little differently.
You have a bubble that you can place your ball within, choosing the location that you think will have the most impact. As you pull back on your ball, arrows appear that help you aim. Those arrows can prove to be very useful, especially when you miss by just a little bit. The arrows and flight path fade away slowly, so you can make adjustments if you’re quick.
The targets are small blocks, with emoticon faces, that are stacked in a variety of patterns and in a variety of places. The challenge is to knock them all off the screen in the fewest flings. The blocks come in different sizes and eventually transform to make the challenge more difficult. In return, you can acquire different balls with different properties to deploy against the more demanding arrangements.
The game has a cheerful feel with bright graphics, spacey music, and snarky sound effects. The blocks maintain a running commentary of amusing utterances. The leveling screens feel like a party. It’s just fun around every corner.
Blosics is a great game that provides a neat twist on the slingshot theme. If you’ve beaten, grown tired of, or just really like Angry Birds, Blosics is the game to provide a new means to have destructive fun.
What to know:
What to know: