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
As a child I spent many hours playing a game called Subbuteo, a soccer game where you flicked little plastic soccer players around a fabric pitch to score goals, other people played foosball where the aim of the game was the same although this time your man spun on wooden rods.
Soctics League is a hybrid of these two games and while the aim remains the same, to score more goals than your opponent, you control your players by pointing them in the direction you wish them to go in before launching them all at once to push the ball into your opponents net.
To begin with the process felt a little alien, you can play the game with either 3 or 4 ‘players’ and they are placed on either side of the pitch. Before the game starts you have the opportunity to place your ‘players’ anywhere on your half of the pitch, after that however control moves to directing power and direction by placing arrows out of each of them.
While you’ll be predicting the direction of the ball most of the times you do also get a limited number of binoculars that will give you a visible line of where the ball is going to go, this doesn’t take into account you opponents moves though so it’s path is not guarenteed.
While your doing this your opponent, either iPhone AI, a friend or an online player are doing the same and once you’ve all set your moves all the players will move at the same time and the ball will hopefully move towards you opponents goal.
While there is a basic training mode you can really perfect your skills playing against the iPhone AI player before taking the online challenge which is where the real fun begins as you pit your wits against a real player. The online game moves along quickly as you are limited to how long you ponder your next move, and ponder you must as you have to consider both attacking your opponents goal and defending your own.
You can play friendly games online but also play league games. The league games will enter you into the Soctics League which is won by the player with the most points each week.
Each game is a best of three so you may fine things over pretty quickly, however it can turn into a mind bending game of chess if you find a defensive opponent. This is where it gets fun though and the game shows its strength as a real brain teasing challenge.
Soctics League is not going to win any awards for its sound and graphics, it’s pretty basic where both those items are concerned but that’s also not a problem as the game is more about the mental challenge than its great looks.
It’s also a little rough around the edges still, the app crashes at times for no apparent reason and sometimes menu’s don’t work either but Soctics League does have the underlying gameplay that could keep this on your iPhone for some time to come. The developers seem to be active too so who knows what updates they have up their sleeves.
Soctics League is available in the App Store now for $1.99 and if you are looking for something a little different this could be the game for you.
[rating: 3/5]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:
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[rating: 3/5]
Dudu Rush Deluxe Review: Dudu the cute little elf and his friends are off to explore the world. Dudu along with his best friend Nunu and his little sister Ruru have set off on their journey while avoiding the enemy along the way.
Dudu Rush Deluxe {Free} by Infiworks is a fun adventure game with four different worlds and 40 levels. Controlling little Dudu is easy. You have a jump button on the left and the fire button on the right. Dudu runs automatically along the platform and you just control his jump and firing. When you approach a ledge you need to jump over it. If you fall down it, you will die. When you approach the enemy then you use the fire button to shoot at them.
You can monitor your progress to see how far you are until the end of the level by looking at the progress bar at the bottom for the screen. When you make your way along the platform there are also gold coins to collect and you need to collect as many of these as you can.
The coins you collect can help you buy props to enable you to play better within the game. There is Protection which protects you from getting hurt, airscrew which enables Dudu to fly in the air and Jump shoes which enables him to jump twice. If you don’t have enough coins you can buy a coin pack as an in-app purchase.
The game is easy to play and has really good graphics and cute sound effects. This makes it very suitable for all ages. I felt though the in-app purchases were very off putting and spoilt the game a lot. If it wasn’t for the in-app pop ups throughout the game it would be quite good fun and enjoyable to play.
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PassPath Review: A simple app for iPhone that does one thing and does it exceedingly well. If you have a need to keep photos secure, PassPath is your app.
Personally, I can only think of a small number of scenarios where this level of security would be required (e.g., proprietary info, legally important photos, sexting), but if you fit one of the scenarios, this app is the best I’ve seen.
PassPath’s biggest selling point, and one they should capitalize on for other applications, is the security lock to open the app. The 12 billion possible combinations should do the trick for most folks. Using a 3×3 grid of dots, you drag your finger to draw a line, or any pattern of lines, between them. Your unique pattern, which can be as short/long and complicated/simple as you choose, serves as your password. This may or may not be easier to remember than a regular password, and it’s probably harder to write down. But it is much, much harder for an intruder to guess.
Once in the app you can create albums and add photos to them. You can import photos from your iOS photo gallery or take new ones right from the app using the native Camera application. These photos are encrypted as they are saved to the albums. Once in the app, photos can be saved back out to the Photos app or emailed to others.
PassPath has a nice industrial look to it that constantly reminds you that this is a heavy-duty security app. You’ll have no chance of confusing it with less secure options. The interface puts the icons in the corners and they are easy to identify. Getting around in the app is simple enough, partly because there aren’t a lot of features to complicate it.
PassPath is a bit of a uni-tasker. It does one thing (secures your photos), but it does it well. If you have need for protecting your photos from prying eyes, this app will serve you ably.
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[rating: 3/5]
Pocket Warriors Review: Pocket Warriors for iPhone is a cute game reminiscent of Sonic and Tails. Your characters fight side by side to take on monsters and protect the village.
The game begins with two characters, which I suppose could be considered a boy and a girl. You can name them or just accept the default Gavin and Kelly. You begin by heading to the village to meet the people who can help you, such as traders and blacksmiths. You pick up your first weapons and then head out to battle your first monsters.
Each mission you successfully complete rewards you in coins that you will need to upgrade your weapons so you can take on the next level of monsters. Each monster has a weak spot, which you only uncover once you’ve defeated them. But that information helps you as you progress and move on to battle other monsters.
You have to work as a team during the battles. When one character is taking the brunt of the attack the other needs to step in and protect them in order to defeat the monster. Both characters fight even when your focus is on only one, so switching back and forth gives you a different perspective of the battle.
The graphics are simple and cute and the colors are bright and cheerful. The background music tends toward medieval with some birds, cows, and other ambient noise thrown in. All in all it feels a bit like a renaissance festival, especially when in the village.
This game seems a bit overpriced when compared to others. It’s a solid, basic game, but there’s not much in complexity or that anything special that sets it apart from the rest. Still, it’s a fun game with an easy to use interface. Give it a try and test your teamwork against the monsters.
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Flava Review: The app is a combination of scrapbook, journal, and calendar all in one. It gives you a place for everything and keeps everything in one place.
Consider this app an Internet-connected, multimedia diary and you’ve got the general idea. You can write notes, take pictures, mark locations, tag books and music, and link to websites all within Flava. It sorts your entries with a timestamp and organizes them on a calendar.
The interaction with the app is intuitive. You have a set of icons to choose from when you wish to enter new information: Text Only, Camera, Album, Places, Music, Books, and URL. Select one of those and you go to an entry screen specifically designed for the type of information you wish to enter.
Flava ties into both the Photo and iTunes apps on the iPhone for pictures and music. That means you can either take photos with the camera or select an existing one from your photo gallery. You can have some fun with photos too by adding stickers and captions to them. Music is selected from your iTunes library and you can add comments here too. There’s also a button to link to YouTube from the Music screen. This does a search on YouTube and finds videos related to that song. And it plays them without leaving the Flava app.
Flava is a great concept that could be used in a lot of contexts. While it’s a bit skewed toward the cutesy, it would prove useful to travelers, students, and professionals, for example. However, it has a few shortcomings currently that hold it back a bit. It desperately needs a search function. Capturing this information is only half the picture, finding it again is the other, missing, half. In addition, it could really use a movie link similar to the books tie in. And the fact that the Places feature was essentially non-functional at the moment also needs to be addressed. There was a Next button on the maps screen that didn’t appear to be working.
With a few bug fixes, Flava would be a great app. With some additional features it could be awesome. It’s your choice to spend the $0.99 now and hope for the upgrades or hold off for the time being and wait until it’s a little more well-developed.
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[rating: 3/5]
Emberwind Review: A beautiful, challenging game, but perhaps not for the uninitiated. Your mission as Kindle the gnome is to save the world from the evil gremlins. You have the help of your trusty snow owl to assist you. Armed with just a staff, you set out to take on all that cross your path. Through difficult terrain including hills, caves, villages, forests, and snow fields, you battle on to defeat the enemy.
This is an amazingly alluring, Mario-style game, but I had a bugger of a time controlling the character, Kindle. The small control area on the screen just wasn’t responsive enough to keep the poor guy moving properly. And when I wanted to go right, I would find myself going left. I can’t imagine the troubles folks with “fat fingers” would have. There were places I would get stuck and it took a frustratingly long time to get myself out. (If I weren’t writing a review, I would have given up on the game at that point.) It did get better (or I got better) as I played on, but it was a rough start for too long. And it never got to the point where it was completely subconscious. (There is an iPad version of the game available – Emberwind HD for $1.99 – and I wonder if the difficulties with the controls in the game are more manageable in that version.)
The adventure required Kindle to traverse some pretty difficult terrain right from the start. The initial instructions/help screens were perplexing. They showed what action needed to be done, but I couldn’t decipher how to do it. After much trial and error, the controls became a bit easier and moving through the stages became enjoyable. Taking on the enemies, opening treasures, and collecting acorns became routine, if still challenging.
The story itself is rather fun. Move through the stage to rescue the villagers from the invasion of gremlins. Frequent encounters keep you jumping, often literally. Plus the difficult and varied terrain makes for it’s own trials.
The images are amazingly detailed, but can be a bit difficult to discern, as many items are quite small. The music is fun and adds to the fantasy of the game. It pleasantly stays in the background and doesn’t overwhelm the sound effects that provide useful feedback on your successes.
Emberwind is a game that seasoned gamers may enjoy. However, it could prove too frustrating for those new to the genre. If you’re a veteran Mario-type game player, this could be a fun, fantasy-based challenge for you.
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[rating: 3/5]
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
Cons
When you first launch the app to start you simply tap ‘Lets Merge’ then you can either take a snap of the persons face or choose one from your camera roll. Once you have the picture on screen and correctly lined up then tap the tick symbol and it will save it. Then you do the process again for the next image you would like to merge, going through the same process.
When that is all done you can then see on screen the merged image. From this screen you can delete, save to your camera roll, post to facebook or email it. It is worth knowing that the pictures that you take from what is on your phone already can only taken from your camera roll so if you have any other folders in the photo library you won’t be able to use those.
You can use either facing camera and when you have taken the picture you can zoom in and resize what ever part of the picture you are fitting in to the guided area. Only when you are happy with it do you then need to hit save.
Me & You Photo Merger for iPhone ($.99) is ideal for those moments sat down with all your friends and in need of a giggle. Quickly snap the faces for the willing ones and see what funny and strange images you can create. Having the Facebook integration to share with your friends is a great feature to have for those hilarious photos you make.
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[rating: 3/5]
FishStar Review: Located in a colourful marine world shoot the passing fish to score points and unlock new challenges.
To play the game you shoot at the fish to score points. You do this by tapping the screen where you want your shooter to hit. When you see a fish if you tap on or near the fish it will shoot in that spot. You need to remember though that if the fish is a fast swimmer it may have moved by the time you hit it. So you need to plan slightly where you think it might be heading and aim the shooter accordingly.
You can then use your fishing score points to play Wheel Of Fortune. When playing you might win more coins or get a challenge to win coins. These challenges can be mermaids or bubbles. For the mermaid challenge there are different mermaids with different awards and obstacles. Lucy who you can just shoot at, Medea who is protected by a shell wall which you need to break and Lucia who needs protection from an evil shark. Achieve all these and you earn more coins to play with.
If you get the bubble challenge it is a mixture of bubbles and coins to shoot at. Using the thornback fish if you shoot and pop the bubbles there are bonus coins inside to win. All of these adding up to your normal scoring points and giving you more coins to play with.
You get 100 coins to play, each coin lets you shoot once. When you have used all your coins up you then have to either make sure you hit and score more coins, wait until the next free coins are available or you can buy additional coins in packs of 300, 1000 or 2000 all at different price range. The coins don’t actually last that long though so you do need to make sure you earn the extra coins if you don’t want to stop playing or pay for any more.
The marine world and fish are all very colourful and eye catching. Although the game is suitable for any age it is sure to please a child and is easy enough for them to play on their own.
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Brought to you by DieselPuppet Jump And Fly is a fun pick up and play jumping game. The game follows the style of Doodle Jump and in many ways is very similar.
On screen is a bouncing, jumping character. Using tilt control on your device you have to guide him from platform to platform jumping as high as you can. Miss a platform you will fall and lose your life and will have to start all over again.
All the platforms are varied including some normal non moving ones. Then you have different kinds of platforms to make your jumping difficult. There are clouds that once you have jumped on disappear, trampolines that help you bounce extra high and rotating fans that blow you higher and higher. You may also find some platforms will explode after 3 seconds if you have jumped on them. All needing quick thinking and planning before your next jump.
Along the way there are also stars to collect and power ups. If you pick up a pair of wings when you use them he will fly up with no need to jump on the platforms. There are also a few monsters waiting for you as you get higher. Stay out of the way and you won’t lose you life. Although you won’t come across many at first so you will be off to an easy start.
The game is very much like Doodle Jump and it is hard to see what this game offers over it to make it better. The one thing it does have is the power ups but that’s about it really. The graphics are good but again nothing above and similar to what Doodle Jump offers. If you’ve never played Doodle Jump then you will certainly love this game but if you have you could be a little put off just because it is so similar and offers nothing new.
Jump and Fly is suitable for all ages and is great just to pick up and play when you have a few minutes to spare. The game is also integrated with Game Center with leader boards and acheivements great if you enjoy competing with your friends.
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Gameplay
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[rating: 3/5]
‘Stuntjump Tumbler‘ is a physics-based game that challenges you to maneuver through obstacle fields to collect coins and reach the flag to advance to the next level.
The game is a bit like Mario adapted for the accelerometer and touch screen. You are a round, rolling face that can be made to go faster or slower based on the tilt of the device. You touch the screen to gather yourself in, which makes you smaller – important in navigating some obstacles – then let go to jump over or on to objects in your path. Coins appear along your path to encourage you to navigate the obstacles in a specific way.
The graphics appear as hand-drawn sketches on old-school graph paper, different than the usual computer-generated look. At times it’s a little plain to look at, but it doesn’t interfere with the game play.
The responsiveness of the bouncy, rolling head seems a little sluggish, but it does add to the challenge of the game. Because you can’t roll backwards, there are places you can get stuck and have to restart the level you are on.
There is a free version of the game, which includes only 18 levels, or a paid version for $0.99, which has 60 levels to challenge you.
Overall, the game seemed a bit slow and frustrating. It would be easy to get to a rough spot and put the game down rather than try again. I’d give the free version a try and if you’re still playing at level 18, spring for the paid version to continue on. A small change in the game mechanics could make a big difference; so keeping up with updates may pay off.
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[rating: 3/5]
Roodie Noodie and the Slippery Pole is a fun family game where you try to keep the Roodie Noodies balanced on a slippery pole. This is a game of balance that utilizes iPhone’s gyroscope to control the lean of your character on the slippery pole. While trying to balance your character you also have to collect the sparkly nurdles that float by. This forces you to lean further and further and threatens to make your lose your balance.
The control system as I mentioned before, is extremely easy. This game is of course made for kids and it certainly caters to their control abilities. The use of the gyroscope is very easy for kids to grasp, especially in this day and age when kids are so accustomed to video games. There really aren’t any more controls and that is the beauty of this game. It possesses a small learning curve and doesn’t get too complex.
Perhaps the best aspect about Roodie Noodie and The Slippery Pole is the fun loving and exciting environment that the characters and the world that you are in create. The characters are unique and interesting and they go great with this game for kids. The entire environment is upbeat and exudes fun. You have the “crafty crabs” trying to move the pole to make you fall and the “clapping clams” and “synchronized shrimps” are there to cheer you along the way. It is a great family competition that all ages can enjoy. If you are able to complete all of the levels you get the Sand Dollar Shield that is presented by Flip Flop the Seagull.
Overall the game is not overly robust but does cater well to its audience, kids. I think the characters will excite kids and the competition will give them something to strive for. It’s always nice to have something to strive for and after beating the game you can also unlock exclusive video clips. This along with everything else this game has to offer to the kids, I think it’s worth a shot.
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$0.99
Category: Games
Updated: Mar 29, 2011
Current Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 170 MB
Language: English
Seller: Complete Control (UK) Ltd
© 2011 Complete Control (UK) Ltd
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
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Inkub HD [rating: 3/5]
Inkub HD for Mac is a kind of tower defense game, which is set in the incubator rooms of an alternate world. It features a different look from most games of its genre, and bright colourful graphics with a nice intro. I took it for a whirl to see how it plays on OS X.
The main menu of Inkub has a nice bunch of menu features, including different play modes and information on enemies and weapons – both of which you can unlock more of as you progress.
Here are the key game modes:
Adventure
In the Adventure Mode you will be in charge of the incubators for 40 rounds spread across 5 different worlds. Each world has 8 rounds in which you will unlock weapons, special powers and enemies.
Survival
Choose a scenario amongst the 5 available and try to keep your incubator safe as long as possible. Each new wave of enemies will be tougher and you will need all your skills to achieve the best scores.
The general look and feel, as well as the execution of the game’s interface is very much like an iOS app. There are iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch versions of Inkub, and this is probably a text book example of a game that is portable across all the platforms Apple make. So that is what it appears as if the developer has done. Nothing wrong with that. It is simply an observation. But unfortunately because of this my first impression of Inkub HD was that it was a little simplistic for a desktop game. And this initial impression was borne out as I dug deeper.
Inkub HD features 3 difficulty levels and 5 different worlds each with 8 rounds.
You can also rotate the play area to reveal hidden tubes, and activate some hidden rounds.
Gameplay is solid, and revolves around the usual fare in tower defence games; where one strategically places weaponry to defend your base. Except in this case the base is an egg in an incubator, and the enemies that you place weaponry to defend against are crawling down vent tubes connected to your incubating egg.
As the game progresses you unlock more versatile weapons, and your incubating room gets more vent pipes. At the same time the enemies get more abundant and also change in variety.
All of this is played out against the backdrop of a planet, and a gradually more cluttered incubator room.
Sound effects are cool. And the look and feel of everything is done competently. And this game would look great on a smaller screen I expect. But even on a 17″ laptop display the graphics, whilst well drawn, are too big, and the animations are too clunky for my tastes.
I was not really keen on the way that the vent tubes had some sections that were impossible to see through. This meant that enemies could disappear and reappear going round bends in tubes, which is actually a fun twist. But also made the play area, that is already constrained to the vent tubes, feel all the more sparse on a big screen with lots of irrelevant atmospheric activity going on around it.
Overall I found Inkub HD very easy. And a little too slow in its progression.
For a kid, playing a tower defence game for the first time, Inkub HD would probably be a great introduction to this genre on either the Mac or iPad – while a little too simplistic for an adult. On an iPod Touch or iPhone I think it would be quite a good game for anyone in an idle moment.
But overall as a Mac App, as cheap and as cheerful and as well implemented as this game is, it’s a little too “blaa”.
The Good
The Not So Good
$3.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Mar 01, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
Size: 22.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: 46 To Shinjuku Medialab, S.L.
© 46 To Shinjuku Medialab, S.L.
Rated 9+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later
There aren’t many games on the iPhone that I’ve played in real life, I’ve never thrown a range of birds at some pigs, I’ve never jumped up on numerous platforms to reach as high as I can but I have played cubicle golf! It was a long time ago and I would never do it now but I also never thought I’d see it on an iPhone.
For those of you that have never played it before it’s pretty simple, you decide on a course around your office and then using your legs to propel yourself to see how many times it takes you to reach the pre-agreed destination.
Well now all this fun has been brought to the iPhone with Cubicle Golf and the representation is pretty good. The graphics are great representation of your typical office environment and the commentary throughout the game is entertaining if a little repetitive.
Each of the 18 holes is based in a different office with different obstacles and your manager to try to avoid. There are 3, plus 1 bonus, “clubs” to choose from that take the form of different employees which represent three club types, a driver, iron and a putter which each adds to the power of the shot.
The controls are easy to pick up, simply pull an arrow with represents the power and direction of you shot form the employee and release. It will take a few attempts to get the sensitivity right but one you do you shouldn’t find things to difficult.
The 18 holes offer a decent variety of obstacles including the manager who you’ll find wandering around the office, hitting him will put you back to the start and suffer a penalty stroke.
The major downside to this game is the replay value which is limited thanks to the lack of multiple courses and online leader boards that would at least add some competitive edge to the game.
At $2 Cubicle Golf is a fun but relatively expensive option for your iPhone, for me it gained a little momentum due to the fact that I could relate it to real life, so perhaps you should try Cubicle Golf for real first!
$1.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Jan 01, 2011
Version: 1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 18.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: Plow Digital
© Cubicle Golf
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
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Ever wanted to control a bouncing cat around multiple levels while collecting sushi? No, me neither, but now you can with Bulba the Cat for iPhone.
The cartoon graphics will certainly appeal to a younger crowd, as will the cute music and sound effects, don’t let the cuteness fool you though as underneath is a challenging 3D plat-former.
The game takes advantage of iPhone’s accelerometer and tilting your iPhone side to side and back and fourth with move the leaping kitty around the screen.
There are 60 levels of increasing difficulty with each level adding additional cans of sushi to be collected and extra obstacles to overcome. From windmills that can work with and against you and sloping landscapes that shoot you off in the opposite direction and large mushrooms that will enhance your jumping ability the challenge as you progress through the levels gets progressively difficult.
All these obstacles must be navigated with Bulba the Cat who is permanently jumping which adds an additional level of difficulty. Someone needs to give this cat some Prozac!
Unlike a traditional cat that has 9 lives Bulba has infinite lives and so any sudden dip into the water that surrounds him will merely send him back to the beginning of the level.
The early levels can be relatively easy to complete but as soon as the windmills and sloping landscapes come into play certain levels may take multiple attempts to complete. This may prove to be frustrating for younger players that have been attracted by the cuteness of the main character.
Reply value is limited with no leader boards, achievements or even in game scoring so while is may entertain you for a while it won’t last long.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated: Dec 18, 2010
Current Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
51.7 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller: C4MPROD
© C4MProd
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
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If you like loads of explosions and plenty of firepower that Super Blast 2 has all of that as it’s a shoot-em-up that challenges you with the cry of ‘none shall pass’ as to progress in the game you need to prevent all of the enemy craft from getting passed you as if you do then it’s game over.
This is a little different from most shoot-em-ups and it does add a little more pressure to the game play which is certainly a good thing.
The graphics look good on the retina display of the iPhone 4 but it is a little too easy to mistake the asteroids in the background as being something you have to destroy. The pumping sound-track helps move things along but louder explosions would be nice as they are often dominated by the music.
There are 3 difficulty levels to choose from with each one causing an increase in the aggressiveness of the enemies attempts to get past you. For some of the enemies that’s all they do, others though will also attempt to destroy your spaceship.
You have 3 lives to work with through the game so even if you don’t let anyone past you the game could still end should your ship be destroyed 3 times. Conversely, it only takes ship getting past you and it’s game over, regardless of the number of lives that you have left.
Controls take advantage of the accelerometer and all that’s required are a tilt to the left or right to move your ship in that direction. It would be nice if there was also the ability to move your ship back and forward to be either more aggressive or more defensive.
Shooting is automatically set to on so a constant stream of bullets, lasers and bombs will be launched from your ship as soon as the game begins to the time you are defeated. As you play through the game different weapon upgrades will float down the screen for you to pick up but these upgrades aren’t permanent and you’ll soon revert back to your standard lasers.
The game is fun for a while and the three difficulty levels certainly add to the challenge but there is limited replay value even when you factor in the 10 achievements and leader boards offered by its Open Feint integration.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Dec 06, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
40.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Phantoom Entertainment UG
© Phantoom Entertainment UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
Blood Runner iPhone
Blood Runner [rating: 3/5]
Blood Runner by Fun On Your Cell is an addictive vampire platform game. You play the blood thirsty vampire trying to keep alive. You have ten seconds left of your life and to live any longer you need to find blood to quench your thirst and extend your life.
Search the castle corridors and dungeons in search of droplets of blood. You will find them everywhere around the building. Walk up to them and you will drink it, each extending your life for a little bit longer.
The aim of the game is to collect the blood droplets to keep you alive and find your coffin. Controlling the vampire it is easy, tilt your device to move left or right. To jump just tap the screen anywhere, if you want the vampire to jump up a wall you need to tilt the device in the direction of the wall and tap jump. To keep climbing up the wall keep tapping and you will climb.
You can also slide down walls by again tilting the device in the walls direction. Work your way around the corridors and find your coffin before your time runs out. Each time you collect a droplet of blood it will add a small amount of time.
Blood Runner
There will be obstacles in your way to try and stop you getting to your coffin. Walls may only go one way and there might be a few spikes or shooting stakes around waiting for you. Then there is he usual things vampires need to avoid, sunbeams, holy water and wooden stakes.
The game is quite good but I felt right from the beginning it was quite difficult. The first level took several attempts to complete. You can skip levels though but obviously that defeats the whole purpose of working your way through the game. Three levels out of each set of ten are unlocked, the rest you have to unlock.
The game is integrated with OpenFeint so you can compete online with your friends and on the leaderboard collecting achievements as you go. I quite liked the bright pink graphics and the sound effects when collecting the blood droplets reminded me of old retro games.
Blood Runner is certainly an addictive game and one that I enjoyed playing, I would though prefer if the levels were slightly easier at the start.
Pros
Cons
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 15, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
58.6 MB
Language: English
Seller: FunOnYourCell
© 2010 FunOnYourCell
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 3.1.2 or later
CLUE is the US version of a game that most people in the UK associate with a board game called Cluedo. Cluedo was invented in the North of the UK in the late 1940s. Apparently since then things have moved on a pace, and now there is an all singing all dancing version of CLUE, made as a board game by Hasbro in the US, in which you get black light torches to read spy clues with, and super secret text messages during the game sent to you from Hasbro’s servers. Sounds like a lot of fun!
CLUE: Secrets & Spies – A Hidden Object Game from Electronic Arts, as far as I can tell is a game that cashes in on that franchise. What it offers up is a set of “hidden object” / “spot the difference” picture games, set against a backdrop of international espionage.
I am not a great fan of spot the difference games, but the idea of them on an iPad with some finger tip action seemed initially interesting.
Here is EA’s own blurb..
Find hidden objects in exciting cities around the world like Casablanca, Buenos Aires and Paris, and stop the evil forces of C.L.U.E. (Criminal League for Ultimate Espionage) from sowing destruction across the globe!
CLUE is certainly well presented, and the spy theme makes for a more interesting way to bundle up picture based puzzles. But even with the global map, and the fairly weak storyline tying the puzzles together it just felt to me like an elaborate menu system skinned in a spy theme.
The puzzles, spot the difference and find the hidden objects are well done, with nice little overlays when you spot things. Good use of the touch screen but the pressure of a time limit was about the only time I felt that I was actually trying to foil some evil master genius before a nuke attached to a puppy went off somewhere. And that was fun. But short-lived. And to be frank a lot of the fun I was having was in my own overactive imagination.
There is not much variety in the style of gameplay in CLUE, but there is plenty of variety in the puzzle locations, images and back stories. And you cover several parts of the globe, including Morocco, Russia, London, Cairo, Berlin and so on. All possible settings for James Bond movies, or cold war capers.
There are rewards to be had in the form of “essential spy gear”. I won’t spoil the surprise for you. And you can use a Clue Detector to help you out of sticky spots.
That is really about it. And both the idea of the board game from Hasbro, and EA’s own blurb on this iPad game get me more excited than the reality of CLUE on the iPad.
CLUE is well crafted overall though. And if you love picture puzzles that test your memory and observation skills then CLUE: Secrets & Spies may be for you.
Now where is my laser gun…
$4.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 04, 2010
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0
76.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: Electronic Arts
Game code © 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. CLUE © 2010 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
TouchTerm SSH is a command line access tool which you can use on your iPhone or iPod Touch. If you’ve ever had to use the “Terminal” app on OS X, or an equivalent on a PC, or had to log into a remote server then you should be reasonably familiar with what this app does.
In a nutshell, any SSH client allows you to remotely log into other computers. On the Mac, for example, the entire front end that you use day in day out is simply a facade of pixels giving you a pictorial representation of what is actually going on behind the scenes. Where your computer is actually running a command line based Unix core on which everything, absolutely everything you do with a GUI can be done with text commands. So, in essence, much of what you do with your mouse pointer can also be done with simple text commands in “Terminal” or any “Shell” type interface.
I was originally hoping to do a comparison piece on the various SSH clients available for the iPhone. But the guys at Aji who make TouchTerm SSH were the only people kind enough to get back to us.
A fun command to run on any Unix based device when logged in via a Shell is “top”. This will give you a very informative, constantly updating screen chock full of text about processes, memory usage, and all manner of technical info about your computer.
Here is a shot of me running “top” via TouchTerm SSH remotely on my development Mac… (If that image does not ignite the geek in you, then there is something wrong with you… or perhaps me?)
For those of you that have no interest in controlling computers using text commands, and are not sure what an SSH client is, then this app probably isn’t for you. Which is a shame, because hacking around on computers and servers using only a text command line is a great way to learn about what really goes on under the hood. And is sometimes essential to get you out of some situations even with todays modern, stable GUI based operating systems. For example : Developing graphics software for OS X I have on occasion crashed my Mac’s screen handling processes, and using an SSH program from another computer in the office was able to get into the “crashed” machine, rescue data, and reboot it without having to power it on and off. Neat eh!
Warning : It is worth noting, though, that logging in as “root” on any computer, which is probably what you’ll be doing with an SSH client, is inherently dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. So do bear that in mind too.
Among other tasks, I maintain a couple of servers for the company I work for in my day job, and without command line access I would not be able to do any serious work on those beasts. Being able to get into the servers and monitor how they are running, and issue important commands to check on daily backups or simply turn services on and off when on the move is sometimes essential, particularly if a server hits a problem.
Doing that from an internet cafe is not a great idea because of security and convenience, and often I am not able to find one when I need one anyway. The kind of server problems I am talking about always seem to hit late at night when you are in a restaurant, or when you are out in the boonies racing at the weekend! And anyway, in this day and age surely we should be able to do this stuff from our smart phones anyway, right?
So being able to fire up a low bandwidth, text based command line on my iPhone, even over a slow GPRS connection, is essential to my peace of mind. And that’s exactly what TouchTerm SSH for iPhone allows me to do.
Setting up TouchTerm SSH is easy. You can make user accounts for your computers at home, or your servers abroad, and save the log-in details, optionally with or without the password. This makes firing up a connection quick and easy. They even provide a password lock for the app itself, if you are nervous about putting server logins on a device you might lose.
Landscape and Portrait modes are fully supported. As are all the special keys like Ctrl, Esc, Tab etc. that the iPhone’s keyboard does not have, and are essential for special commands in a terminal app. And options for protocols and security settings are all also present and correct. Like OS X and iOS are backed by a proven Unix OS, so too is TouchTerm SSH underpinned by an industry-standard OpenSSH open-source library.
Terminal use is all about using the keyboard, so if that bit doesn’t work then we have a problem! When the keyboard pops up it fills most of the screen on the iPhone (as we all know), and Aji have come up with a neat solution, which is to make the keyboard semi-transparent. This works well and makes you feel like you have more screen real-estate. You can also touch scroll around the large terminal window that the app allows you to work on. But no pinch zoom, or “magnification”, which would be a nice touch. But they did choose the right default “Matrix” style colouring for the text display.
I didn’t feel totally at home with the way that the TouchTerm display stutters and freezes with a spinning indicator as you enter each command and wait for a response from the remote machine. Sure all internet connections lag, and you are always going to be waiting for the device you are connected to complete its task and send the result back to you. But you don’t expect the iPhone interface to stutter and lock up while waiting. The app does have an option to turn that locking off, but that comes with the caveat that your iPhone may become unresponsive if the device constantly receives a lot of data from the computer it is connected to. This needs to be tidied up in my opinion. But marrying text driven interfaces to iOS is not an easy task, especially with all the requirements power users have, and overall Aji have done OK.
TouchTerm SSH hasn’t been updated in a while, which shows with some of the older and more clunky ways that the interface works overall. When doing stuff on the move, on a small screen, it is essential to be able to task switch, and unfortunately TouchTerm SSH does not support multitasking, yet. So if you need to check some information from another app, or copy and paste commands this is quite hard to do.
Aji have addressed some of these issues in their TouchTerm Pro app by having save-able commands to speed up input via the keyboard. But we have not had the chance to review that version, and updating the basic version so that you can task switch would enable you to have commonly used commands in a note pad sheet, and then copy and paste them in.
Using the app over the last 24 hours I have been able to do pretty much anything I needed to do on our servers, which are located in the US and Europe, all from my sofa just outside Bangkok. I have also been able to experiment on my computers at home. It certainly works. And has a lot of customization features to make the app make you feel more at home. I just wish the overall look and feel was more polished.
TouchTerm SSH certainly gets the job done. And it would be nice if the developer updated it to give it some iOS loving. At $3.99 I can recommend the base app, and forgive some of the clunkiness. But if the Pro app is based on the same core GUI model then I think it is probably overpriced, and could do with some refreshing and polishing.
$3.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Utilities
Updated: Jun 24, 2009
Current Version: 2.4.2.1998
2.4.2.1998
1.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: Aji, LLC
© 2009 Aji, LLC
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 2.0 or later
Gaston #1 Superball by Marsu Productions is a super ball bouncing game. A similar styled game to Doodle Jump and Mega Jump that are also available in the app store. This time you are in control of a bouncing ball, a super one at that!
You have to control the young boy that has just invented this amazing ball by helping him jump higher and higher. Using the tilt controls of your phone you move the device from left to right and he will move in that direction.
Along the way there are objects in the sky to help you gain a bit of height. Many birds are floating waiting for you to bounce on them. I wasn’t quite sure what they were at first because you move up the screen quite fast. You can earn more points by collecting coloured balloons. Look out for the alarm clock though this deducts points and in no way helps you!
There are three modes to play Classic, Night and Halloween with the promise of more themes to come. The graphics are quite good but I just felt that everything was moving very quickly that it was hard making out what things were.
There is nothing really unique to this game to separate it with the many others in this style that are available. If you like this kind of game though this wouldn’t really matter. Gaston #1 – The Superball for iPhone is also integrated with Game Center so there is the appeal to compete with your friends to keep you interested.
$1.99 (VIew in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated: Oct 22, 2010
Current Version: 1.1.1
1.1.1
13.7 MB
Languages: English, French, German
Seller: Marsu Productions
© @MARSU 2010 by Franquin -developed by VETASOFT, published by MARSU PRODUCTIONS
Rated 12+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
If you live in the USA then you’ll be well aware of the impending holiday of Halloween thanks to the stores being full of Halloween related merchandise and the increasing number of homes that have adorned the outside of their houses with pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons and other such spooky apparel.
In the coming weeks I expect the same to happen in the App Store as more and more developers look to take advantage of the holiday with their Halloween themed games.
Zombie Organ HD is one of those games, a simple Simon Says game where you have to repeat back the pattern outlined to you. In this case the musical pattern is played out for you on tombstones with howling creatures of the night singing along to the notes.
Get one note wrong and it’s game over and your score is set to zero at which point you can start the game over or instead simply play the tombstones on their own and make your own spooky tune.
The game couldn’t be more simple and it is unlikely to hang around on your iPad past October 31st, but if you’re having a Halloween themed party then having this on your iPad could add some technological spookiness to the proceedings.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Oct 13, 2010
Version:1.2
1.2
22.9 MB
Language:English
Seller:Applesauce LLC.
© 2010 Applesauce LLC.
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
Take a bunch of cute animals and start attempting to throw them into a recycling bin and you are either playing Burrow or about to get a visit from the local animal welfare organization. Let’s assume it’s the former!
Burrow is a physics based puzzle game where the task in each level is to launch a cute little animal into a recycling bin. The task is made all the more difficult with the various obstacles put in your way.
The cartoon style graphics and cute animals make it look like it’s a child’s game but the challenge of the puzzles ensure that it’s definitely not for people with child like brains!
You have an unlimited supply of animals to launch and the range of animals have various attributes that can either help or hinder the task at hand. The key to many of the levels though is the transporter, when the entrance and exit are placed it enables you to transport your little animals from one part of the screen to the other.
While there is no formal scoring system in Burrow each level keeps track of how many attempted throws it took you to complete the level so that you can revisit them again to see if you lower the number if you so wish.
The controls are all touch based and are simple to use and there are currently 50 tricky levels to transverse, 25 covering Spring, 25 covering Summer and another 50 levels covering Fall and Winter due to be released in a future free update.
There’s nothing new or ground-breaking in Burrow and playing through the game felt like I was playing a game from 12 months ago and with the speed of mobile gaming development, that’s a long time!
If you’re quick you may still be able to grab Burrow while it’s on offer for free and that’s the perfect price point for a game that needs a lot more polish to help it stand out.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated:Sep 29, 2010
Current Version:1.1
1.1
7.6 MB
Language:English
Seller:Shane Wighton
© 2010 Shane Wighton
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Rodent Rage is the first from TouchTilt Games for the iPad to hit Apple’s App Store. The game puts you in the role of a laboratory rat who is raging against the machine and fighting back against the many scientists who have been performing experiments on you.
Luckily your rat has been equipped with a rocket launcher to kill the scientists and this gives him a distinct advantage.
Each level is uniquely designed with each scientist placed behind and under a variety of objects to help protect them from the onslaught of your grenades. If you’ve played Angry Birds before you can think of it like that with less cute and more gore!
Direction and power are controlled via the touch screen with placement of the cross-hairs controlling both properties. A nice touch is that your last placement of the cross-hairs remains in place so you can make slight changes to your aim to get the desired result.
In addition to killing the scientists on each level you must also avoid other lab rats that are placed around the level. Failure to kill all the scientists or killing all the rats will end your attempt to complete the level.
The cartoon style graphics and animations aren’t going to blow your socks off but they are affective enough and the scientists explode with enough gore that you would think that they were in a 10:10 Climate Change commercial.
There are 30 levels in total spread over 3 worlds with each world becoming available on the completion of the earlier one. While there is scoring in the game based on scientists killed and rats not killed there is no leader board, either locally or online to be able to compare your successes with, only a single high score for the complete world is maintained.
Overall the game left me feeling a little disappointed, with the lack of variety and no competitive options, the game doesn’t have much long lasting appeal. That may change however with the promise of additional levels and mini-games in a future update.
At $1.99 the game isn’t going to break the bank but you may want to wait for the update before you splash your cash.
Reviewed on an Apple iPad
$1.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Oct 01, 2010
Version:1.0
1.0
16.4 MB
Language:English
Seller:shane whitehouse
© 2010 Shane Whitehouse
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later