It seems to be tradition now that every holiday brings a binge of iOS price cutting and Presidents Day is no different and many of the major publishers have started already.
Here are some of the highlights:-
All the racing games by Electronic Arts have been a huge hit and worthy of having them on your iOS device if you love the racing genre. One the must have games would have to be Gangstar Rio: City of Saints as it offers real value for money being universal and offers one of the best crime based gaming experience.
Heard of any others? Post them in the comments below or tweet me at @4forkssake.
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Monopoly for iPad was recently updated with some new features so we decided take a look at this popular board game again. This classic game manages to keep the games’ classic gameplay and feel while utilizing the technology that the iPad has to offer. The sleek interface and ease of browsing around the game sure beats having to set up the board game and especially having to keep track of all of those pieces. The game sports tons of features that make it a great game for many different styles of play.
The control system in Monopoly for iPad is dead simple. The game is largely prompt or menu based. Rolling the dice might be the most complex action you have to do and it’s as simple as touch and hold on the dice and flick your finger. You have all of the controls of the board game from trading property to auctioning property. All of the menus are extremely simple and allow you to do all of the actions found in the game in a nice clean and simple manner.
You can have a four player local game that allows four people to play using one device or you can play against three other AI players. You have the choice to link up via Bluetooth with three other players and play a four player game via Bluetooth. Finally, my favorite is the option to play a four player game over WiFi since this is the technology that we all use at this point and really adds something to this game. There is a tabletop mode that makes the game play like the board game. This really takes you back to the entire family gathering around the table to play. This might not be a full replacement to the board game due to size but let me tell you, it worked for my wife and her friend on a two hour drive we made lastnight. This game also features a “Teacher” mode which helps you by giving you hints and tips. You play along with a quirky AI player that helps you learn new strategies. These different modes help keep the game in its roots but at the technological boost it needed.
The presentation of this game is great just as any EA game. The visual aspects are stunning and go hand in hand with the actual board game. The sound effects are great and have the added bonus of allowing you to choose from your own music that you have on your iPad which is always awesome. The ability to create your own house rules is also very intriguing for those of us who always dispute the original rules. Trust me if you played this game a lot growing up, there were some house rules involved whether you knew it or not. This game comes in at $9.99 but I can say that it is worth every penny as it gives you all of the options of the board game but also the added technology and options of a game made for Apple’s tablet. The latest update to the game also adds the all new Toyota Prius mover which gives you yet another reason to play this classic game once again.
Pros
Cons
$9.99
Category: Games
Updated: Apr 27, 2011
Current Version: 1.0.3
1.0.3
Size: 69.5 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller: Electronic Arts Inc.
© 1935, 2010 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Game code © 2009, 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
Only a week into the 2010/2011 NBA season EA Sports have released the latest in their sports range of games to coincide with it, enabling you to recreate the excitement of one of America’s most popular professional sports.
As you would expect with EA the game is fully licensed and so you’ll get to play along with over 450 of your favorite players, 30 NBA teams and unlockable legends from years gone by. These all look great on the iPhone 4’s retina display too, from the polish of the courts to the life-like players you are in for a visual delight when playing NBA Elite.
When launching the game a tutorial is launched to show you the basic controls of the game. This is all done in game and shows you how to move and sprint using the virtual, floating d-pad on the left hand side of the screen and the two action buttons on the right.
The buttons change based on whether you are on offence or defence, stealing & blocking on defence and passing & shooting on offense. A simple tap activates these moves and will suffice for most when playing on the easiest of the three levels.
However, if you want to play a more entertaining game, and/or wish to play at a higher difficulty level you’ll need to learn the more advanced moves. These advanced techniques are shown via an optional tutorial and it shows how double taps and swiping of the action buttons enable special turns, skill dunks and other moves that enable you to add a little flash to your average game.
The tutorials are short and effective and before long you’ll be starting to put your skills to use in anger. You can jump straight into an Exhibition game, Full Season or take your team straight to the playoffs and see how you play in the post-season.
Choosing Full Season or Playoff mode doesn’t take too long to set up and you will soon be taking your 5 players onto the court. As mentioned previously the graphics look great and the players pop off of the screen. From tip-off to buzzer the game play is fast and smooth even when all 10 players are jostling for position on the screen at the same time.
The skills learnt in the tutorial are easily put to use and it was extremely satisfying to find myself spinning, shooting 3pts, steeling and dunking in my first game. This was on easy difficulty though and as I tried the other difficulty levels things became increasingly difficult, which I guess, is the point!
There are a lot of games in a NBA season and so if you want to speed things along a little you can simulate individual games or whole seasons, not that you’ll want to as playing each game is a real pleasure.
Getting your team to post season, and then winning the NBA finals will not only be rewarded with glory and satisfaction but also by unlocking an NBA legend which you can then draft into your team for your next game.
All this is done to a great soundtrack which pumps up the atmosphere, this can be easily changed to your own tracks from your iPod if you so wish. Also customizable is the choice of camera angle, TV mode moves the camera about attempting to show the best angle while baseline and corner fixes the camera in those positions.
An additional mini-game is also included in NBA Elite 11 and that is the famous 3-Point Shootout which puts you up against other NBA All-Stars in a fast paced shootout from the 3 point line. This is a fun addition to the game and requires fast fingers and quick reactions.
If basketball is your game then NBA Elite will be $5 well spent especially with it’s in game roster updates that will provide you with the latest roster changes throughout the season. The lack of a multi-player mode for either the main game or the 3pts shoot out is disappointing but shouldn’t stop you from buying this quality game that sets the standard in basketball games.
$4.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 04, 2010
Version: 1.0.1
1.0.1
184 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Ngmoco was recently acquired by Japanese gaming outfit DeNA for $400+ million and today EA annouced that they have acquired Chillingo Ltd., one of the premium independent games publisher. Chillingo has been making headlines for all the right reasons in the last few months. Their recent launches for iOS devices have been major hits on the App Store and they recently announced a strong line up of upcoming games.
Press Release:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced it has acquired Chillingo Ltd., a leading independent games publisher. With the acquisition of Chillingo, EA Mobile™ has increased market leadership on the Apple® platform and strengthened its position as the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher. The acquisition combines Chillingo’s expertise in cultivating the ideas of independent developers with EA’s global reach in mobile publishing. Chillingo is widely recognized for publishing highly original and successful games from the developer community. EA is committed to preserving Chillingo’s independence enabling them to manage and cultivate their great network of relationships to deliver the optimal gaming experience for consumers.
About Chillingo
Chillingo publishes innovative games and software for various platforms. Other hit iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ titles include Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, Helsing’s Fire, Predators, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Minigore, iDracula, and Modern Conflict. For more information about Chillingo please visit chillingo.com.
About EA Mobile
EA Mobile™ is the leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning game franchises such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need For Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s partnership with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer and NASCAR®. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone®, iPad™ and iPod® touch. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ea-acquires-chillingo/feed/ 0For those interested in the results, you can expect a review of financial results for the first quarter, outlook for the future and other developments. The webcast will be available here
EA also announced some exciting titles for the iPhone 4, iPod touch and iPad to look forward to:
What do you think about these upcoming games from EA Mobile? Let us know which one are you most excited about. Stay tuned for more info and reviews when these games are available on the App Store.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ea-announces-major-summer-fall-line-iphone-4-ipad/feed/ 0EA has ported another one of their successful console games to the iPhone/iPod Touch with the release of Mass Effect Galaxy (MEG) which bridges the gap between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. MEG is part RPG part shooter and promises a “Gripping storyline” and a “Torrent of Firepower”, the question is does it fill the gap with its promises or merely leave the player wanting more?
You are Jacob Taylor, a combat power-house in this story-telling adventure, made exclusively for your iPhone™ and iPod® touch! Enjoy the stunning art in this stylish animated graphic novel experience. Control Jacob’s actions with a new combat and narrative wheel interface.
EA, and more specifically BioWare, have done a wonderful job on the graphics, storyline, video and acting to a level rarely seen in an iPhone game and maybe they got a little carried away with it, more of that later. The game starts with a short tutorial covering the menu’s, the communication systems and combat which will come in very handy especially as you move through the game and the levels get progressively harder. Within a couple of minutes you are thrown into the action and it comes fast and furious, all be it interspersed with increasingly infuriating load screens.
Combat is nicely handled, the accelerometer handles the movement of your character, Jacob, and shooting is automatic based on some basic instructions from you on who to target and what type of firepower to deploy. While these basic controls won’t offer enough specific control for some the ease of which it allows you to pick up and play is an instant hit for me. Levels are relatively small but the action is frantic and you’ll soon be using the full force of the accelerometer to keep Jacob out of danger and defeat the plethora of enemies.
While the combat is fast and furious it is interspersed with plenty of RPG in the form of inter-character conversation. These elements look great and all your choices are simply presented via a scrolling display on the right side of the screen, selections are made and the game moves on to the next combat section. So while these sections are presented so well if are more of a ‘G’ compared to a ‘RP’ these sections can get a little frustrating. That being said though the storyline flows well and should keep you entertained while you wait for the next piece of combat.
And that is all there is too this game, in summary you watch a cut scene, make a choice and then fight. Unfortunately the balance of watch/choose/fight is not quite balanced enough and you’ll often find yourself feeling as if you are being taken for a ride as a passenger rather than the driver. The game looks great and even feels like you should be enjoying it but after playing it I felt a little let down.
Price $2.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Mass Effect Galaxy Screenshots
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
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