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
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
I love my racing games and Mini Motor Racing came as a great addition to my iPhone. A top down racer with you a 5 opponents racing around beautiful looking and designed tracks makes for a lot of fun, frantic action.
There’s a great career mode, local multi-player and the ability to upgrade you car to challenge with the most fast and aggressive of opponents. Additional value is add by the GameCenter integration which consists of 16 achievements and leader-boards for all 22 tracks.
Mini Motor Racing can be grabbed from the App Store for just $1.99.
Tiny Tower by NimbleBit is the ultimate in addictive simulation game where you become the owner, manager and contractor of a tiny tower where you aim is to make it huge. Huge that is in the sense of the number of floors as it’s your task to build level after level of residential, commercial and retail stores.
The game uses a freemium model where the initial purchase is free and you can speed up your progress via in game purchase. That being said though in all the time I played it I never ended up spending an additional dime.
If you haven’t given Tiny Tower a try yet I urge you to do so although be prepared to not see your family and friends for a while as your addiction takes hold!
Another racing game makes it to my top 10 and this time with a whole new control system ideally suited to the touch screen of the iDevice. DrawRace 2 is another top down racer but this time instead of controlling your vehicle with an accelerator and a steering wheel you draw the path you wish your vehicle to take. It takes a bit to get used to but the satisfaction of getting around a sharp hairpin at full speed and in first place never gets tiring.
There are a range of vehicles all with differently handling and skills that can be unlocked as you progress and the tracks look wonderful too. If you are looking for a racing game with something a little different look no further than DrawRace 2, available in the App Store for just 99c for a limited time.
This one finds it’s way into the Top 10 mainly thanks to my daughter who is addicted to the fun game aimed at the younger age market.
The 9 Moogies are a variety of brightly colored farmyard animals that live in a barn. Each one can be clicked on and you will enter their weird and wonderful world. From a horse on a treadmill, a vacuuming cow and an experimenting mouse the animals are all kept pretty busy. The animals and their surroundings can also all be interacted with and along with the great sounds and music the game can keep a child entertained for as long as you’ll let them play with it.
The great thing about it for us adults is the fact that it’s not annoying, in fact I will quite happily find myself humming along to the music all day long at times! The Moogies is a universal app which is available in the App Store now for just 99 cents.
This audio and visual delight of a game takes you on a mysterious adventure where you are to solve a range of puzzles to to uncover the truth about your characters life.
You unravel the dark mystery as you wander around the rural location that is beautifully rendered on both the iPhone and iPad. The controls are intuitive and as you play the game you’ll find yourself engrossed in the excellent story telling.
While a little short in length it’s an experience not to be missed. dream:scape is available in the App Store for $2.99 and is a universal app.
There have been plenty of new and worthy word games released for iDevices this year and for many people W.E.L.D.E.R. possibly flew under the radar, it most certainly shouldn’t though.
W.E.L.D.E.R. is played on a 8 x 8 grid of letters and the aim is to make as many words as possible while swapping as few tiles as you can. While swapping adjacent tiles is the main way to move them you can unlock the ability to jump, reverse and group tiles. These additional options are limited though and are earned by scoring points.
I thought I would miss the fact that there is no mulit-player option but the challenge to clear each level by completing the required number of words with the given number of moves makes you want to not socialize anyway!
W.E.L.D.E.R. is another universal app and is available in the App Store for $1.99.
More racing in my top 10 games of 2011 only this time it of the two wheel variety and instead of racing around a track against other opponents this time you are racing against yourself along a crazy motorcycle assault course.
The controls are simple yet effective and your success is measured on each track on three conditions consisting mainly of beating a set time, collecting all the coins and completing the course.
There are 70 different tracks to complete, either riding as the Bike Baron or as a gorilla! But in addition to these pre-built tracks Bike Baron comes with a track editor that not only allows you to build tracks to race yourself but allows you to share them with your friends and the Bike Baron community.
At just 99c Bike Baron is available in the App Store now as a universal application.
The Angry Birds juggernaut continued in 2011 not only with the original Angry Birds and it’s follow up in Angry Birds Seasons but also with the release of it’s movie tie-in 3rd game Angy Birds Rio.
The saying goes that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and Rovio have certainly achieved that with Angry Birds Rio and with 6 episodes, 180 levels and 90 pieces of fruit to find there is plenty to keep you busy including a new bird that appears occasionally and which is not available in the other Angry Birds games.
If you are looking for a game to while away the hours then Angry Birds Rio will certainly achieve that with the even more charm, fun and entertainment as the two previous incarnations.
Purchasing Angry Birds Rio for just 99c from the App Store could be one of the best dollars you’ve ever spent.
When this game fell into my lap to review I was completely taken by surprise. All you need is one finger and fast reactions to enjoy this game as you power your jetpack wearing character along the never-ending level.
As you attempt to travel as far as you can you must avoid death by navigating around a variety of both static and moving lasers as well as rockets which aim to stop your progress. While the ultimate purpose of the game is to get as far as you can before you crash and burn the mini-objectives that you care challenged to complete on each and every turn keep things interesting as you always have something to achieve.
As you play you will also earn coins that you can then spend on power-ups, new cloths and a range of different jetpacks.
The balance of this game is in that sweet spot that just keeps you coming back for more and as a universal app it’s which is currently FREE in the App Store Jetpack Joyride is a must for every iPhone/iPad owner.
The irony of a game that was originally released in 2001 making the number 1 spot for 2011 is not lost on me, however the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 in it’s full form onto an iPhone is an amazing feat in itself.
The fact that it’s been done so well providing a huge open world environment of gorgeous sprawling city streets and a storyline which takes murder, revenge, violence and criminality to a whole new level Grand Theft Auto 3 has not been off of my device since it was downloaded and installed.
It loads fast, plays fast and is quick to jump in and out off which considering its a huge game is a great achievement.
While this may be the most expensive game in my top 10 it easily provides the best value for money and will provide hours and hours violent enjoyment! Get is from the App Store today and you won’t be disappointed.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/best-games-2011-iphone-ipad/feed/ 6
[rating: 3.5/5]
Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword Review: I loved Mirrors Edge, it was one of the first games that I brought for my iPad and I played it almost non-stop, sliding, jumping, swinging and rolling through the scrolling levels it worked great. Well, if you’ve played Mirrors Edge you be right at home here, minus the cutting edge graphics!
Your Plasma Sword is your only defense against an invasion of intergalactic creatures, well, that and your swift feet that will see you running, jumping and sliding through the levels.
You’ll find yourself running and leaping from left to right as you attempt to avoid traps, pitfalls, meteors and other items that will be detrimental to your health and as you progress through the levels and things get faster you will need quick reactions to prevent a premature end to your adventures.
With running being taken care of automatically your only concern is with the jump, slide and attack buttons which are on the left and right hand side of the screen. These buttons work well but sometimes, especially on later levels, it is possible to miss them in the frantic action.
For added value there are two game modes. The main story mode see’s you making your way through multiple levels of action and end of level bosses and while this is fun I prefer the endless mode where you are tasked with achieving various milestones to earn XP which you can then use to unlock levels, upgrade abilities and change your plasma sword.
The game graphics and sound are ok, but could certainly be improved on and are rather lackluster, however, what it lacks in polish it makes up for in humor with seemingly a million and one things that you shouldn’t do with a plasma sword.
To add to the two game modes there are 30+ achievements and Leaderboards via the OpenFeint and GameCenter integration that add to the hours of fun that you can have while not running with a plasma sword!
What we like:
What to know:
Gallery
]]>
https://touchreviews.net/dont-run-with-a-plasma-sword-review-iphone-game/feed/ 0
CultofMac brings an interesting perspective to the table with an article on Apple’s post-iPad plans. Anyone familiar with the history of the personal computer will recognize the name Xerox PARC. The Xerox Palo Alto Research Center was at the forefront of computing research and development during the late 1970s and 1980s. Among the many accomplishments of PARC in the 1970s were the creation of the first graphical user interface, the modern two button mouse, Ethernet, and a precursor to what we know today as email. Most of the GUI design incorporated into both Mac OS and Windows is derived from work started at Xerox PARC.
The CultofMac article discusses a Scientific American article from 1991 by researchers at Xerox PARC. The 1991 articles describes how the researchers feel the future is in three classes of computing devices: Tabs, Pads, and Boards. If you think about it for a moment you can guess what the Tabs and Pads are in Apple’s strategy; the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad. Is the next step for Apple the “Board”? The researcher describes the Board form factor as follows:
Boards built by Richard Bruce and Scott Elrod at PARC currently measure about 40 by 60 inches and display 1024×768 black-and-white pixels. To manipulate the display, users pick up a piece of wireless electronic “chalk” that can work either in contact with the surface or from a distance. Some researchers, using themselves and their coleagues as guinea pigs, can hold electronically mediated meetings or engage in other forms of collaboration around a liveboard. Others use the boards as testbeds for improved display hardware, new “chalk” and interactive software.
They go on to describe how they have used this technology practically:
We have built enough liveboards to permit casual use: they have been placed in ordinary conference rooms and open areas, and no one need sign up or give advance notice before using them. By building and using these boards, researchers start to experience and so understand a world in which computer interaction casually enhances every room. Liveboards can usefully be shared across rooms as well as within them. In experiments instigated by Paul Dourish of EuroPARC and Sara Bly and Frank Halasz of PARC, groups at widely separated sites gathered around boards — each displaying the same image — and jointly composed pictures and drawings. They have even shared two boards across the Atlantic.
Bear in mind all of this is happening during and before 1991. The technology existed then to make ubiquitous, large screen TV-sized touchscreen computers. If we follow the line of form factors in the article, as Apple seemingly has, it makes sense that Apple wants to move into this as yet unfilled space.
Imagine a large scale iPad you’d use instead of a TV as the information, entertainment, and gaming hub in your home. One that could interact with you and the existing devices in your home to bring a truly convergent experience. Is that what Apple’s aiming for next? If they’re not they should. They have the resources, operating platform, and money to bring what is essentially 20 year old technology to the masses.
Would you want Apple to take over a predominant place in your living room as well? Will an “iBoard” be the end game in Apple’s consumer technology strategy? Leave us a comment and let us know.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/whats-next-for-apple-post-ipad-plans/feed/ 0