Just under a year ago touchreviews.net reviewed World Series of Poker for the iPhone and iPod Touch. We really enjoyed the game especially the design and seamless online integration. Now the game has been ported to the iPhones younger and bigger brother the iPad.
For the most part the iPhone and iPad versions of the game are identical shifts makes my wonder what took Glu Mobile so long to release this iPad version of the game.
The game certainly does justice to the iPad’s larger screen. The game looks as good, if not better than the iPhones graphics, thanks to the iPads larger screen. From the videos that litter the game as introductions to the various events to the in game graphics and navigation screens the graphics make the game a pleasure to play. Everything is where you would expect it to be and during the game play there are often multiple options to each command you wish to complete.
Texas Hold ‘Em poker is not a difficult game to play, all players are dealt two cards and then five ‘community’ cards are dealt for everyone to share. Between the dealing of each card all the players get the opportunity to place bets depending on how strong you feel your hand is compared to that of your opponents. If you are new to the game there is a detailed help section although it is all text based.
The app will give you a small number of chips each day that you play but should you want to increase your number of chips additional ones can be purchased to increase your pot. However it must be remembered that the app is only for entertainment purposes only, so any money you spend on additional chips cannot be won back!
For the single player the Career Mode is where you will spend most of your time as you attempt to move through the seven locations winning as much virtual money as you can. While for those looking to play against all competitors you have the opportunity to play online against between either 6 or 9 randon players or thanks to the built in Game Center functionality you can play against any of your Game Center friends to see who comes out on top.
The Game Center integration also enables 28 achievements whichs adds additional value for your money. While the app is $4.99, a high price for some, the amount on offer in this app makes it worth while especially for serious poker fans.
The are two slight annoyances with WSOP HD the first is the fact that there are no additinal features in the iPad version of the game, the other is the inclusion of advertisements for some of Glu Mobile’s other games. While they are not overly intrusive it’s a little annoying to see them after paying five dollars for the app.
$4.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Oct 21, 2010
Version:1.0.0
1.0.0
194 MB
Language:English
Seller:Glu Games Inc
© 2010 Glu Mobile
Rated 12+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
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Let’s Fire created by Corefan is a game based on a simple premise of fireworks exploding in the sky. Travel around the world and perfect your firework display and score points as you go.
The idea of the game is to control the firework display by controlling the fireworks explosion. You have to make it a perfect display. When you start the game the fireworks are fired up into the sky, you have to tap them to make them explode. You can tell when it is the perfect time to explode a firework as it will show a circle around it. If you tap it when the circle is there you will score a perfect explosion.
The timing will determine your score, you will be given, perfect, good, poor or bad. Perfect obviously being the best and bad the worst score. At top of the screen is your life bar. This will be continually reducing but if you can get a score of poor and above it will give you back some of your life line. You need to stop the bar from disappearing. When you miss or score bad it will make your life bar go down a lot quicker.
If you keep making explosions that are better than poor you start scoring what is called a chain. The more you can build up in your chain the higher you will score.
The game had some good sound effects. When the fireworks shoot up into the air they do sound like the real thing, even when they explode and light up the sky. The graphics are ok, there are some nice images in the background but the fireworks on exploding are not very exciting. There was nothing that stood out and made you think ‘wow’.
The game it does record your high score but there is no global leader board or any Game Center or Open Feint integration. I think if it had one of these it would make the game more appealing and a good reason to keep coming back and playing it.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Oct 06, 2010
Version:1.0.0
1.0.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
8.1 MB
Language:English
Seller:Corefan technologies Ltd
© Corefan
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
It’s fairly unusual for me to be asked to review a game that I’ve not heard of before even if only in passing. However when I downloaded and installed Time Geeks onto my iPhone 4 I was completely unaware of its existence. That’s no bad thing though as I was excited to find out what it was all about.
While Time Geeks is a brand new game the pixel art style gives it a great retro feel yet not dated in any way. Launching the game you may think that you’re getting ready to play a game from the 1980’s but you would be wrong. The game itself is part hidden object and part Where’s Waldo, or Where’s Wally depending where you come from, and there is a lot to keep you entertained.
The main part of the game is History Mode where you get to play through 8 missions set in eight different time periods. Completing these missions then makes them available to play individually along with the other mini games that you unlock on the way.
The game starts with a short interactive tutorial which tells you all you need to know to complete the nine missions. Each mission is set in a different year and each year has a uniquely designed map relevant to the time period you are in.
As previously mentioned each map is beautifully created in its pixelated form and is filled with activity, people and objects and it’s your task in each level to find a range of items such as specific characters, animals and objects that are randomly placed through-out the map.
You are ranked based on how quickly you find the item you are tasked to discover and so while you can complete each level by taking your time to scour every inch of the map you will be only rewarded with one star. If you want to complete the game fully you will need to find each item in under 8 seconds!
As you progress through the levels you will be rewarded by unlocking a variety of mini games which will also earn you stars depending on your performance. This mini games can also be played individually once each one has been unlocked.
All in all there are over 100 challenges in the game, add to that the challenge of getting maximum stars on each of them there is plenty in the game to keep you entertained for hours and hours.
Additionally, with the items that you unlock you can create you own islands full of craziness which you can either save locally or share with your friends on Facebook. Unfortunately you can’t actually play the game with any of the maps you create yourself.
The only flaw I was able to find in the game is a known issue with one of the mini games on certain devices where the game would crash. That being said I never experienced the issue and a fix has already be submitted to Apple for their approval.
If all this wasn’t enough, the game also links in with the social gaming networks of OpenFeint and Apple’s own Game Center which adds even more value for money.
Talking of value for money Time Geeks: Find All! is just 99 cents and I recommend that this could be the best 99 cents you’ve ever spent in the App Store.
Reviewed on an iPhone 4
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 27, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 20.6 MB
Languages:English, Spanish
Seller:Ivan Cascales
© Ivanovich Games
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Just search for the word pinball in the App Store and you will be inundated with page after page of options and more and more of these are also available on the iPad including Multiball Pinball HD which has just been ported from the iPhone to the iPad.
Most of these apps have a specific selling point and as the title of this game suggests the unique selling point of this pinball app is that you will find yourself trying to keep multiple balls alive at once.
There is only one table in Multiball Pinball HD which is a littler disappointing, but that one table does look good on the iPad screen and includes all the bumpers, rails and chutes that you come to expect on an pinball game. There are no virtual flippers on the right and left hand side of the screen instead tapping anywhere on the sides of the iPad’s screen will flip the flippers on both sides of the table respectively. These controls are responsive and makes it nearly impossible to miss any required flip!
The music keeps things moving along well, however there does appear to be one major bug that under certain conditions you can leave the game running and with no interaction with the game as one ball disappears another one will enter the table and using this approach I was able to easily reach just under 10 million pts.
While there is no multiplayer option you can challenge your friends via email and upload you best score to the global high score table. There are also 3 difficulty levels for you to work through that adds a little extra value to the game.
Overall Multiball Pinball HD is another solid addition to the range of pinball games in the App Store. It doesn’t have too many additional features but it’s enjoyable while it lasts.
Reviewed on an Apple iPad
$1.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated:Sep 21, 2010
Reviewed Version:2.1
Size: 17.2 MB
Language:English
Seller:Coober Ltd
© Coober Ltd 2010
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
During my youth I spent many an hour playing a variety of games using nothing more than a piece of paper and a pencil. From the traditional Noughts & Crosses, Sprouts and Squares to the more unique Cowboys & Indians and F1 Racing it was a cheap and easy way to pass some time.
I was pleasantly surprised then when I received Dots-N-Bombs to review which brings the simple game of Squares to the iPad.
I’m sure the game that I know as Squares is also known as many other names so here’s a brief overview of how Squares is played in it’s originally form. The game starts with a grid of dots and players take it in turns to join two individual dots together. Eventually you will get to a position that joining two dots will complete a square and in completing a square you claim it as yours. The game ends when the entire grid has been completed and the player with the most squares wins.
With Dots-N-Bombs for the iPad the basic rules of the game have been retained but extra features have been added to which rather than taking away from the game instead enhance it and make it even better.
Dots-N-Bombs can be played against the iPad AI or against another player using the single iPad and there are 4 game modes to play too. Of course there is the Classic mode which is a simple representation of the paper based game which works perfectly and then there is Dots-N-Bombs mode were you have 30 seconds to make your move and get to use a selection of bombs that will either clear existing lines allowing you to rebuild again and a swap bomb that will switch your squares to that of your opponents and vice-versa.
This mode also works great, the time limit keeps things moving along and the addition of the bombs add an extra degree of strategy making it more of a challenge and ultimately more satisfying when you win.
There’s also a quick mode that limits each move to 10 seconds and then a custom mode which allows you to configure all the settings yourself. With these four modes there is something for everyone.
The game looks very nice, clean and effective, however the two players are identified by red and green stars and for anyone suffering from color blindness will find it almost impossible to distinguish between them. So the ability to change the colors would be nice.
The two player option works well too where you can either pass the horizontal iPad between players or with the iPad held vertically each player can sit at either end and play it without moving the iPad.
Overall Dots-N-Bombs is a great example of a simple game converted to the iPad, it keeps the simple things simple yet adds additional features that enhance the game play rather than confusing it.
Reviewed on an Apple iPad
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated:Sep 14, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.1
Size: 16.4 MB
Language:English
Seller:Dogbite Software Ltd.
© Dogbite Software, Ltd.
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
My name is Craig and I’m an Airport Mania: First Flight HD addict. There, I’ve said it, and now I can start on my recovery. Although to be honest I don’t want to as while I initially thought nothing could match the greatness of Flight Control a pretender to the crown has surfaced and I love it!
The cutesy cartoon graphics may initially fool you into thinking that Airport Mania: First Flight HD for iPad is not a serious game but after just a few minutes of play you soon find out what a complex, yet fun and addictive game this is.
Unlike Flight Control where your only task is to successfully land your planes in Airport Mania you are not only the Air Traffic Controller but also the Mechanic, Gas Attendant and Flight Crew as you are tasked with landing, unloading, fuelling, fixing, loading and guiding to take off a multitude of planes.
While this may sound like a lot of tasks to juggle, and it is, it’s been very well implemented allowing you to queue up tasks which allows you to automate the process as much possible.
Your first task is to select the plane as it flies over head and then select an appropriate runway for it to land on. Next you must guide it to a gate where it can unload and reload it’s passengers before guiding it back to a runway to take off again.
This all sounds pretty easy but if you want to maximize your score and improve your airport you must do all of this before your planes get angry at waiting too long. In addition some planes may require refueling or repairs before they are sent back into the air.
Your options for maximizing your points are not over yet though as your planes are painted a variety of colors and matching the plane color to the color of the gates will earn you valuable multipliers.
Each level has a dollar value that must be reached it is that dollar value can also be re-invested to increase the airport facilities such as increasing the game speed, adding extra waiting bays and adding additional runways.
There are 8 cities to move through and a total of 84 levels which continue to add new features that keep things interesting and that’s before you consider the 25 awards that can be unlocked for completing a range of challenges.
Airport Mania: First Flight HD should be seen as a Flight Control replacement especially as it doesn’t contain a multi-player option, but it is a great game that is not only fun but challenging too and when you consider that it’s only $1.99 it provides great value for money.
Reviewed on an iPad
Price: $1.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released:Aug 27, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0
Size: 18.4 MB
Languages:English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Seller:Lemon Games SL
© 2008 Reflexive Entertainment, Inc
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
I have never been a fan of time management games such as Farmville, Sally’s Salon, and other games where the purpose is to perform certain tasks within a set amount of time. I find most of them to be repetitive and not exciting enough to satisfy my need for fast paced games. Supermarket Mania HD for iPad, I am happy to say, is the exception.
Supermarket Mania HD follows the daily adventures of Nikki who is busy running several stores in her hometown. Her story is presented to the user via a series of comic book style pages. Nikki’s main purpose is to stock products, clean up after customers, deal with shoplifters, and even compete with other businesses. Overall, Nikki’s day is very busy and hectic. You, as the player, control Nikki in performing all of these tasks throughout the day.
The control scheme is very simple. As customers enter the store, you must stock items that are running low. When products run out, the customers will wait for a certain amount of time for the items to be restocked. If they are not restocked, the customers will become irate and throw the content of their cart on the floor. Needless to say, a clean store is more inviting to other customers so you must clean up the store as well. You stock items by simply pressing on them and clean up garbage by pressing on it and then pressing on the garbage can. Your re-stocking cart will empty out and you will need to go to the stock room by pressing on it. Overall, it is a very easy game to pick up and the iPad screen size definitely helps. I always thought that these types of games can not be played effectively on the iPhone’s small screen since they tend to get very busy.
The game offers both a story and an endless mode. The story mode has 50 levels which are very entertaining. My daughter picked it up very quickly and the first reaction from her was “awsome!”. She kept on playing it for a couple of hours and did not loose interest.
The endless mode provides for a global leaderboard and several bonuses which get unlocked. I enjoyed playing the game on both modes with the story mode being more enjoyable. The game has a good soundtrack that seems to follow the action much like an action film.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable game which marries the time management style with arcade action.
Price: $4.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released:Jul 13, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 45.8 MB
Languages:English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
Seller: G5 Entrtainment AB
© 2009-2010 G5 Entertainment AB
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
First person shooters have had mixed reviews on iDevices with the use of virtual d-pads and the touch screen not always conducive to good control systems, CF Defense HD is the latest to attempt to succeed in the App Store.
The first thing that you’ll notice when playing this game is that they have got rid of one of the issues that can sometimes cause issue in your position is fixed to a single location so there is no need to to worry about movement controls, the only controls you have to be concerned with are aiming and shooting.
The fixed position of your location is due to the fact that you are stationed over looking a beach which is under attack and it’s your task to stem the multiple waves of enemies as they attempt to storm your position.
From this over seeing position you get a full view of the beach and a full range with your machine gun and cannon. The machine gun is your standard weapon and will be used to slaughter the majority of enemy soldiers as the run up the beech. The machine gun is activated by button in the bottom left corner of the screen and while re-loading is a manual process it is easily done by sliding the bolt to re-load.
Your machine gun has a limitless supply of ammo, however it is no use against the boats that are used to deploy cars, trucks and motorbikes onto the beach, for the boat you will need to use your cannon. Unlike the machine gun though ammo for the cannon is limited and while it’s effective in blowing the boats out of the water the ammo is also expensive so usage is limited.
Not only can you purchase ammo for your cannon you can also upgrade both the cannon and the machine gun to make it more powerful, accurate and fast. The balance of earning enough money to purchase these upgrades is nicely balanced and you will need to prioritize your expenditure.
The other items you can spend your money on includes air strikes which as you progress though the levels become more and more vital. Using an air strike will kill eliminate anything that is on the beach and is great for when you start to be over run by enemies.
The air strike won’t kill any enemies that are currently floating down to the beach under their parachutes so you will need to kill them separately. You can let them land on the beach but if you shoot them while they are in the air you may pick up a bonus crate that could contain extra cannon ammo, health or increase your machine gun capacity.
The graphics look pretty good on the iPad with the small soldiers looking well animated as they run out of the sea and up onto the beach. However there is only one location so things can get a little tedious after a while.
The variety of each wave is pretty limited too. As you progress through the levels and increase your ranking from Staff Sergent through to Brigadier small things change as additional enemy types are added to the level but ultimately you still have the same task to complete and that is to kill all the enemies what ever their form.
It is a fairly addictive game though and I have often found myself returning for more to see if I can get a little further than my previous attempt. The intensity of the battles is also reflected by the sound effects which fill your eardrums with the sound of war as your machine gun constantly mows down the multiple waves of soldiers.
A leaderboard is included via integration with OpenFeint however no achievements have been included as part of the integration.
Overall CF Defense HD is an enjoyable game, however to increase the replay value of the game additional locations need to be added to make the game more interesting. In addition the game won’t rotate with the iPad.
Price: $2.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released: Jul 05, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 43.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: Original Force
© 2009-2010 UwinGame Inc.
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
Slingshot Safari HD is the first of Digital Prunes, Inc. range of slingshot titles to be converted for the iPad. As the title suggests the aim of the game is to use your trusty slingshot to hit a variety of animals while on safari, although not the endangered Black Rhino.
The cartoon style graphics are big and bold on the iPad and you soon learn that this is not a hunting simulation more just a bit of fun while the sounds and music of the safari are also well implemented and could make you think you were really on Safari if you closed your eyes!
There are a variety of difficulty levels to play through in Slingshot Safari HD with the beginner levels including the addition of a laser to aim with. While this may be easier you won’t earn as many points for successful hits or awards.
The controls are real simple, the slingshot takes up the bottom half of the screen and touching and pulling back on it controls the power and distance of the shot. Again with the laser turned on this is relatively easy and you’ll find yourself successfully knocking out all sorts of wildlife within seconds as the wander across the screen unaware of the impending threat of your slingshot.
You’ll need to score a given number of points to progress through the levels, unfortunately it’s never clearly stated what the number of points is so you’ll need to just continue scoring as many points as you can to unlock the next challenge.
As well as the ‘relaxed’ gameplay of the hunt there are also stampede levels where you will be under the direct threat of stampeding animals, in these levels should you miss any of the stampeding animals you’ll instantly lose one of your three lives that you initially start with although you can also gain additional lives as you progress through the levels.
Each level has a power up animal too. These are less abundant than the other scoring animals however should you hit one you will be rewarded with either a double score or a grenade that will not only kill any animal that they hit but also the surrounding animals too!
As you progress through the levels the animals become quicker and more difficult to hit with some taking more than one hit to take down too.
The game is Plus+ enabled too so you can not only unlock a variety of awards but also track your performance across the 5 difficulty levels with players from all over the world.
The game is entertaining enough but the difficulty curve is pretty steep and this is not helped by the unclear number of points needed to progress through the levels.
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 28, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.3
Size: 21.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Digital Prunes, Inc.
© Digital Prunes Inc 2010
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Back in the day when my game console of choice was my trusty Commodore 64 computer one of the favourite games I would play was Super Sprint, a 2D top down racer that was as simplistic as they come yet had an addictive game-play that kept me coming back for more. And it was this game that instantly came to mind when I loaded Racing Mania HD for my latest gaming machine my Apple iPad.
The style and structure of the two are pretty similar. Both are top down racers with tiny cars and you can also upgrade and repair your vehicle as you progress through the 15 different tracks. It’s really as simple as that, however that’s no bad thing and while I still have a soft spot for the retro game Racing Mania HD is a fun little distraction too.
The game can be played in both single player mode and against a friend via the local network. The single player mode is split into Arcade and Practice modes with the 15 tracks only being able to played in Practice Mode after they’ve been unlocked in Arcade mode.
There are three control options to choose between, all of them use an accelerator and a break button on the right side of the screen while you get to choose your how you steer your vehicle from the option of a steering wheel, left and right arrows and the third option of using the accelerometer. All of them have there benefits but after playing with each of them for a while I settled on the left and right arrows as offering the best solution for me.
When launching the game you first need to choose your vehicle whether it’s a sleek hatch back, beach buggy, SUV or mini car there is something for everyone and while the differances between them are all pretty small they do all have there own stats which will impact on how you race to a lesser or greater extent.
Each car can additionally be upgraded for quicker acceleration or a higher top speed from your bank account that gets increased depending on your success and the 3 cash coins you can pick up during each race.
Adding to the fun is the fact that you race each track against 10 other mini cars creating a frantic 3 laps of action at high speed. The speed of the game is really affective and you mini car will appear to be zooming round at great speed and that’s even before you’ve started increasing the cars stats as you move through the tracks.
Talking of tracks when you start the game you get 5 different types of track to race around and it appears that the variety may continue into the next 10 too, however after the initial five there are two additional track styles with five course for each of them. The 5 night tracks are dark and moody and while the headlights of your mini cars look good you luckily don’t have to rely on them to see where you are going and the final 5 tracks are like high speed futuristic race tracks where the speed is cranked up once more.
The key to success in Racing Mania HD is anticipating the corners and, if you can do it, not taking your finger off of the accelerator as you do. This will take a while to do especially as the tracks get more twisty and narrow. Hitting the sides or going off track will be punished and as you try to maneuver your car out of a ditch, tree or barrier you may find the other 9 cars speeding past you to take the chequered flag.
There is a local high score table to track your best scores and the local network multi-player mode definitely adds additional value to the game but I did find it relativity easy to complete the 15 tracks in under an hour. I still think that I will come back to the game but a future update to add more tracks, achievements and especially an online multi player mode would make this fun 2D racer into a long term keeper.
Pros
Cons
Price: $3.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 31, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 135 MB
Language: English
Seller: Federico Bigliocca
© Dracoders
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
BOGGLE for iPad [rating: 3.5/5]
It was back in September of 2009 when Boggle was initially launched as an iPhone/iPod Touch application and it was received well. In our review here at touchreviews.net we loved it’s realism to the original game but felt that it was lacking in the multi-player mode and it’s use of Twitter and/or Facebook. Well there is no surprise that the price has gone up, with the original version costing $1.99 you’ll need to find an additional $3 to get th iPad version of the word game classic. So what has changed in this new version for Apple’s new toy the iPad and what do you get for your extra $3?
Well the simple answer is not much with the only obvious difference being the enhanced graphics that do look nice and shiny on the larger screen of the iPad. The game play itself though is much the same.
There are two main game modes Quick Play and then Advanced Play which in turn has a few different ways to play. Quick Play describes itself pretty well, as soon as you launch Quick Play mode and after a quick shake of your iPad the single player game is launched and you are started on your 3 minute word search. It’s easy to play for adults and children a like with a simple stroke of your finger across the letters the valid words are automatically added to your word list while invalid words will remain in play until you can either add to them to make a valid word or click the x to clear the word and start again.
Once the game is over you can either replay the game, start a new one or challenge a friend to beat your score. This challenge option hasn’t changed from the original iPhone version and while it’s fun to see how your friends compare to you scores this email challenge is definitely lacking.
The Advanced Mode offers a few more options including the ability to play against up to 3 friends via Pass and play. This mode is the same as the others where each player will take it in turns to use their 3 minutes to find as many words as possible before passing the iPad onto the next player to for them to use the same set of letters to beat the other players scores.
Another option within Advanced Play mode is to use some power options including Panic Flips and Portal Cubes as well as editing the time limit. These two power options enable special moves in the game where the words you spell will be rotated to offer more options and also mix up all the die if you hang around too long without making a word.
Again these options are all good but still leaves me feeling wanting for more especially when you consider the multi-player and social integration options available with EA’s other titles where online multi-player options are available and offer more fun.
Throughout all of these games you can unlock achievements and keep track of your success via a long list of game stats. There is also a high-score board but it’s only local high score table to comparing your successes and high scores is limited to the previously mention Challenge Mode or local players only.
If you enjoy word games and have even played the classic board game version of Boggle before then there is no reason that you won’t enjoy EA’s latest version for the iPad. However if you are looking for a more social game or already have the iPhone/iPod Touch version there is little reason to buy Boggle for iPad and may prefer EA’s other word game alternative Scrabble.
Pros
Cons
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 27, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.1
Size: 16.2 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc.
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Pebble Jump HD for iPad is a solitaire style puzzle game where the object of the game is to not only clear the table of pebbles but ensure that the last pebble finishes up on a given spot.
The premise is simple enough as is the implementation. The large pebble board is clear and looks good too and the orange pebbles are large and easy to see.
The pebble board is not filled with pebbles, instead the pebbles are place sporadically across the board. In fact the first few levels contain only handful of them as you practice your moves but as you move through the levels the pebbles will not only get more numerous but the challenge in clearing them all will get more difficult too.
The end spot for each level will be marked with a star and as you step your pebbles over other pebbles the pebble that is leapt over will disappear so you’ll clear the table as you go.
You can undo your moves apparently limitless number of times if you feel you’ve made a mistake or you can even reset the whole level and start again. You’ll also restart again if you run out of moves and you have pebbles left over or aren’t on the star shape.
If you get really stuck you can use one of your hints and that’s just exactly what they are, they don’t tell you exactly where to make your move but the do highlight the spaces that are used to complete the level. This helpless your focus on your solution without given the game away completely.
You have to complete the levels concurrently meaning that you can only do the 1 level in front of you and until you solve at there is no chance to move on to any others. There are 120 levels in total split into three difficulty levels of easy, medium and hard and they will certainly give your brain a good workout.
There’s no multiple-player mode where two players could battle it out on a single device to see who completes the levels the quickest and no leader boards either local or online to rank the quickest players either.
Pebble Jump HD is a simple solitaire puzzle game which despite have many bells and whistles will still provide an adequate challenge to those who enjoy logical problem solving.
Pros
Cons
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 20, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 13.8 MB
Language: English
Seller: NBTD Productions
© NBTD Productions
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
When Roswell Fighter was released for the iPhone/iPod touch in November 2009 we reviewed it and commented that it had great atmosphere, simple controls and was full of adrenalin pumping fun, the only down side was it’s short number of levels and the fact that there was no online leader boards. Both those features were addressed in a future update with the introduction of a couple of new levels and integration with OpenFeint. Now it’s been brought to the iPad with an HD moniker, so how is it’s in its HD glory?
Well, to put it bluntly, not a lot. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but an opportunity has been missed to make a great game even better by taking advantage of the larger more powerful iPad. The game does look better on the larger screen with the stream after stream of alien craft shining clearer and brighter as they attack you from all directions and and the larger screen works better for the control as you have a bigger area to work with.
The sound track and sound effects were great on the iPod/iPhone version and with the larger speaker on the iPad it sounds even better even without the use of head phones which still offers the best results for sound.
So if you haven’t played the game before what does it have to offer? Roswell Fighter HD is a classic 2D shoot-em up based in 1950’s America which is under attack from aliens. These aliens come in many different shapes and sizes from groups of small of fast space ships to larger structures with multiple turrets and everything in between and that variety adds to the fun and excitement.
Over the 11 levels the action comes thick and fast with a great sound-track accompanying it’s easy to bang through the levels very quickly even with the end of level bosses that can prove pretty stubborn at times. While this is great that it provides a can’t put down shooter that just keeps you wanting more you will find that you will have it completed in a little under an hour. There are three difficulty levels and cranking it up to the highest of the three will take you a little while longer but not much!
What does add extra value is the addition of OpenFeint which while lacking any achievements does add online leader boards which encourages you to come back and improve on your previous scores.
Ultimately Roswell Fighter HD is still as good as it’s little brother but equally it’s not particularly better. If you’ve already got Roswell Fighter then you may want to stick with it as even at 2x on the iPad it’s still a great shooter but if you haven’t played it before then the $2 is money well spent on a quality shooter.
Pros
Cons
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 08, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 77.8 MB
Language: English
Seller: GameLab Centrum Innowacji Sp. z o.o.
© 2010 GameLab Innovation Center
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
MyTP Freeskiing HD [rating: 1/5]
I’ve always been a fan of the winter sports, in a gaming sense at least, and so when I received MyTP Freeskiing HD for my new iPad I was excited to see what it had to offer to my new device.
Taking a look at the numbers, things looked promising. 3 different resorts each with 3 different slopes offers a nice set of options for you to show your skills on while 7 different characters and 6 different sets of ski’s mix things up even more.
However, numbers don’t tell the whole story and you will soon see that as soon as you start the app things start to go downhill, and not in a good way!
From a distance or at a glimpse the graphics may pass as HD but in reality they don’t push the boundaries of the iPad in the slightest and while the developers admit in their App Store description that the lack of collisions is by design to help the game flow and be more fun instead it makes the game feel fake and takes away any real challenge.
Talking of challenges this is how you progress through the career mode. Each track has three challenges to complete to enable you to unlock new challenges and new locations. You are rather left to your own devices on the challenges with the requirements of each challenge not made clear at any point.
The controls have been updated for the iPad and they are probably the best part about the game. They are described before each race and they are well set out across the left and right side of the iPad’s screen.
They are pretty responsive too and the sensitivity can also be controlled to provide even better responsiveness which I found very useful for the accelerometer controls for the steering of your chosen skier.
Unfortunately the ease of the controls soon get forgotten when they are transferred to the poor animations of your skier as they make their way down the slopes. Unfortunately your skier looks and feels more like a robot as they float down the slopes and when they do any jump or grind they are just as rigid. There is little or nothing that feels natural about this game.
The 9 challenges across the three resorts does offer a fair amount of content but the problem with that is there is minimal enjoyment in working your way through them. At just $1.99 you could argue that you get what you pay for, however if that’s the case don’t sell it as an all singing all dancing skiing app for the iPad as it’s far from it.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Released: May 07, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 17.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: randerline gmbh
© 2010 randerline gmbh
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Kill Kill Monster Campaign [rating: 4/5]
Developed by 1up-game Kill Kill Monster Campaign is an addictive catapult game for iPhone. Killing the brainless, gory monsters coming towards you is the only option to survive in this game.
The game play is straight forward, walking towards you are what is described as ‘stupid monsters’ all you have to do is hit them with boulders to stay alive! To do this you use a catapult to fire large rocks. When the rocks land on them they then splatter and die. Everytime you see one appear on your screen you then do the same.
Now watch out if any of the monsters reach your catapult you lose some of your health bar, lose too much of it and the game is over. If you do well your experience level goes up. Every time it fills to the top it adds points to enable you to upgrade your catapult. Obviously the more you upgrade the better you are going to get at killing those pesky monsters. There are 15 levels altogether and lots of different monsters to kill. As well as the chance to upgrade the catapult there are also different kinds that you can use.
The controls are straight forward and the instructions are shown on screen when you first start. To move the map from left to right you just move your finger from left to right. To aim and shoot you drag your finger from the catapult to where ever you want the rock to land, then let go. The rock then launches and goes in that direction.
There are ways to increase your score as well by doing as many combos as you can and also accurate shots will give you extra bonus points. The game is also OpenFeint enabled so you can compete online with all your friends. Completing set acheivements and trying to get on the leader board.
Within the game there are different modes to play, all offering you a different variation to the game. The main one is just to kill the monsters and clear out the village. There is also levels like, Save The Villagers who are trapped and you have to save them before they explode to pieces. All making the gameplay a little bit more interesting and varied.
The sound effects are quite good with lots of splattering and background wind blowing noises. The music is upbeat but annoying after a while but you can change to a song from your iTunes library which I have to admit I much preferred. The graphics are very good, they are bright and colorful with a lot of attention to detail. There is lots of blood splattering on your screen all fitting very well into the game.
Within the app as well the developers give you the option to submit your own map. If you have an idea all you need do is sketch it down, email it to them and if they use your idea you get your name credited in the game. Great for anyone who becomes a fan of the game!
It is an enjoyable game and when the monsters start coming faster and faster at you it does become an addictive game. With the option to use OpenFeint as well it has got the benefit of being a good game that you can pick up often to try compete. With the mention of new levels to follow as well it should definitely keep you going back to play the game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Kill Kill Monster Campaign Official Trailer
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Released: May 08, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.0
Size: 18.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: 1UP GAME STUDIO
© 2010 1UP Studio
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
Motocross Challenge – 16 Bits [rating: 4/5]
Developed by DHGgames Motocross Challenge is a great racing game. Ride your bike through different scenes amazing the crowd by winning the race and doing super dangerous stunts along the way.
There are four different modes to play. Beat The clock which is where you race around the track trying to beat the time limits as you go from each checkpoint. The World Tour which you race three other players and try to come first. Trick Attack is all about the tricks and jumps you can do on your bike. The final mode is Vs Friends which is where you can challenge your friends via the OpenFeint feature.
Which ever challenge mode you play, as you play each game and win or score well you unlock different levels and scenes. There are 10 tracks you can unlock in 30 different races so there is lots to keep you playing for a while! As well as the different scenes you also unlock new bikes, all offering different features to help you ride better. You just choose the right bike for the right race.
When you first start playing the game there is a tutorial to show you the gameplay and controls. It is a good idea to watch this as it shows you all the stunts you can do within each race and how to do it. The controls are quite easy to pick up after a few attempts. You have arrow buttons on the left to move your bike up or down and on your right you have A and B. B is your gas button and A is your nitro boost button. You also need to tilt your device to guide your bike when doing somersaults. This took me a bit of getting used to but if you follow the tilt guide at the top which looks just like a spirit level it will help you along. That being said I still managed many times to land head first into the ground after doing a great stunt!
To start playing you first decide what mode you are playing, you then choose what bike you want to use. The bikes info pops up on screen telling you all about its features like speed, handling and weight and you then pick one that is suited for the race or stunts you are doing. Initially you won’t have much choice until you have unlocked a few bikes.
You then just work your way through the modes and unlock the new scenes as you go. On the screen it will also tell you what percentage of the game you have completed. There is a mode for everyone if you enjoy the stunts you can just play that or if you really want a challenge you can send an invite to one of your OpenFeint friends and see if you can beat them.
The music and background is the typical upbeat music you find on most racing games and the sound effects are very good. Crowd cheering and gasping when you crash, engines revving, basically the usual noises a bike makes. The graphics are quite good as well, all the different scenes are colourful and detailed in pixel style and the sliding scenes are good. The control buttons do take a lot of the screen up though so the gameplay screen is a lot smaller than your iPhone screen. I think it would have been good if it was full screen size or at least a little bit bigger. At the moment the game is in the middle and then all the buttons are round the outside of it. A bit like how you play a game boy or any similar console.
The different modes will keep you picking up your device to play again and again. I replayed the Trick Attack mode many times to see if I could score any higher. With the option to use OpenFeint as well there is lots of replay value and enough variety to stop you getting bored with the game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store)
Updated: May 04, 2010
Current Version: 1.2
Size: 9.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: David Doucet
© DHG Games Inc. 2010
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later.
Faces iMake is a fun application created by Imaginemachine designed to let you show off your creative side. Have fun making faces with every day objects found around the home.
The theme of Faces iMake is simple, it is aimed at you taking a different look at the objects around you and seeing what you can create with them. Within the app are real pictures of objects most people will have around the house already. With these objects you then make a face of any kind. It could be funny, cute, evil, angry, scary anything really that you could possibly think of. You could even give it a little body!
When you first start out with the app might I suggest you give the lessons a quick look first. These are videos each several minutes long and they show you ideas and give you little tips as you go along. Now I know for most people the idea of watching a tutorial first is quite off putting but this is a tutorial with a diifference. The video is presented by Hanoch Piven who also worked in conjunction with the app and it is his lesson and workshop you watch. The videos had me hooked and I ended up watching them all! The voice over, which I am presuming is Hanoch Piven, was entertaining and a pleasure to listen to. It really was like watching an art lesson, but it had humour in it and his voice and enthusiasm shone through making it great fun to watch.
So once you have had your fun watching the videos and learning the ins and outs it is time to have another giggle and see just how creative you can be. Start out by chosing the background for your work of art, there are lots of shades to choose so there is bound to be the one you want. Then you need to decide if you want to have a face shape already to place your items or whether to create one of your own with the objects. It is up to you there is no right or wrong way to do it. If you decide to go for a base for your face then there is a great choice of 27 different shaped faces to choose from.
When you have decided on your background and base for your objects you are then ready to place them on your piece of art. There are over 100 objects all in different catergories. Objects of food, toys, things from the kitchen, tools, school, buttons and finally letters of the alphabet. All the objects are in different sizes. When you place the objects down you can rotate them if you like. You can’t resize any of the objects but I think this is designed to be as real life like as possible. If you were doing this on an actual piece of paper with the object you wouldn’t be able to resize it. So instead you have to use a different object more to the size you are looking for. There is also the option to layer the objects on top of each other.
Once you have created your master piece you then save it to the gallery within the app. When it is in the gallery you can then assign it to a contact, save it in your iPhones photo album, email it or upload it to facebook for all your friends to see.
When I first started trying out this app I thought it was aimed at just children but when I watched the videos and then tried the app out several times I realised that it is a great app for anyone to show off their creativity. The objects are all photos of the actual items. They are colourful and very clear and a lot of detail as gone into each item and what size they should be. The UI (User Interface) is very good, the menu bar is a sliding bar with buttons and all very easy to use for any age. The app also has great sound effects when you press certain objects and a fun, quirky song playing in the background. There is the option to turn these off should you want to but to be honest they added even more entertainment to the app and are worth keeping on.
There is no limit to the amount of faces you can make. There are so many objects to choose from and face shapes that it is an app with many possibilities and one that there is no chance of getting bored of.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Updated: Apr 23, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.2
Size: 13.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: iMagine machine LLC
© 2010 iMagine machine llc and Hanoch Piven
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
Glyder 2 for iPad [rating: 5/5]
Glu have produced many great apps but one of their best and most successful franchises has been Glyder. So far there have been 3 incarnations, the original Glyder, Glyder 2 and the Glyder inspired How to Train Your Dragon, all reviewed here on touchreviews.net and all received high scores. Well now hot on the heels on the launch of the iPad Glu have released an enhanced version of Glyder 2 specifically for it.
I already reviewed all the previous version of Glyder and so while I can offer a good comparison of them all the fact that I rated the other three so highly may suggest that it’s a foregone conclusion that Glyder 2 for the iPad may also get a high score regardless of it’s conversion. Well iPad apps that are converted from iPhone/iPod Touch apps will only get high scores if they offer something new and take advantage of the extra real estate and power that the iPad offers. So how does Glyder 2 for the iPad shape up?
The first thing that you’ll notice if you fork out another $5 on this version of Glyder 2 will be the enhanced graphics. The 6 islands sparkle with their new hi-resolution graphics. The depth of each island is great, the textures are smoother and the environments are more detailed enhancing the overall pleasure of gliding around them. While there are no additional worlds to explore in Glyder 2 for iPad but as previously mentioned they do look much better.
An additional control method has been added which means that instead of using the accelerometer you can use you finger on the screen to control Eryn’s position. Now it may be that I’m used to the controls by playing the other three version of the game but I didn’t find the touch controls anywhere near as intuitive as the original method. Players who are new to the game though may like having a choice of controls.
There are also two new features to help you find your way around the islands. Firstly the global map not only show’s you all the islands as it has previously done but now also shows your relative location. While the 3D world viewer shows each island in glorious 3D and high-lights places of interest and crystals making it easier to find those last few elusive items.
If you are a fan of the Glyder series and have upgraded to an iPad then another 5 dollars on Glyder 2 will not be wasted and even if you’ve completed the game before you will still take pleasure in completing it again in it’s updated incarnation.
If you haven’t played Glyder 2 before then this is the perfect opportunity to delve into the beautiful world that Eryn has made it’s own.
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and with Glyder 2 for the iPad Glu Mobile have done that and more.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.0
Size: 96.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: Glu Games Inc
© 2010 Glu Mobile, Inc.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Mirrors Edge for iPad [rating: 4.5/5]
Stylish looking iPad game with the gameplay to match!
Over the last couple of years Mirrors Edge has been released over a couple of different platforms and while it has met critical acclaim it never seemed to make it into the heart of the gaming masses. Now it’s being released on the iPad to a new potential audience and if you haven’t tried it yet maybe now would be a good time. That being said while buying a 99 cent game is no risk even if you don’t like it paying the introductory rate of $12.99 for Mirrors Edge may make you think a little.
Mirrors Edge is based on the ‘sport’ of Free Running where participants run through cities jumping, sliding, vaulting over, under and through anything they can find. You take the role of Faith Connors who is fighting against a Big Brother government hell bent on there control methods to keep their “perfect society” perfect.
This is the basic of the single payer story mode. Running across the rooftops and through the buildings to outrun and defeat your pursuers as they try to gun you down. There are no guns for Faith however, her weapons are her agility and guile in evading those who aim to bring her down.
From the moment you launch the game you will be struck by the stunning HD visuals and unique style of the graphics from the stylistic white and red menu’s to the stunning city roof tops the game looks great.
That being said once you launch the game you don’t have long to study the beautiful scenery as you will be too busy launching Faith into her acrobatics.
All the controls are done via gestures on the large iPad screen. Swipe left or right to send Faith running in that direction, swipe up to make faith jump, down and Faith will slide or roll after landing a large fall.
There are also contextual gestures, swiping up while next to an advertising hoarding and Faith will run along it. These controls will need to come 2nd nature if you are going to make it through the 14 levels.
As you progress through the levels Faith will also need to put her skills to defeating numerous enemies using the same skills as she uses to navigate the environment.
14 levels is not a huge number especially for $13 however they are challenging and should keep you entertained for a a decent amount of time at least.
That being said the single player story mode is not the only option. In addition there is the Speed Run where you can race through any of the levels that you’ve unlocked through the Story Mode for the fastest time. After your first run through any of the 14 levels you will be up against your fastest previous time in the form of a ghost which not only adds to the challenge but also help you pick up tips on where you can improve your moves.
You should then be able upload you times to the online leader boards and also download the ghosts of other racers, however on the numerous attempts I tried to do this I was unable to view the leader boards let alone download a ghost racer. Hopefully this we be resolved in a future update.
We’re not over yet though as there is also a 2 player mode that is played on a single iPad. The screen is split in two and you and a friend can battle it out with all the same moves in Race Mode or Rival Mode.
With the addition of these two extra modes on top of the Story Mode, achievements in the form of badges and the option of hunting down the hidden badges the $13 price tag suddenly doesn’t seem so step after all.
If you are looking for an engrossing, great looking title that utilizes the iPad’s large screen and touch capabilities that will enable you to show off the future of mobile gaming then you need look no further than Mirros Edge from EA.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $12.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.0
Size: 110 MB
Language: English
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Quality & Innovation Shine in this Classic Word Game!
Scrabble has been hitting the headlines recently when Mattel announced that they will change the official rules to allow Proper Nouns to be used, click here to read the full story. Now I for one am not impressed but I understand why they are doing it, however that is irrelevant to this review as to this point the iDevice versions of Scrabble have not included this new rule change.
Scrabble has been available on the iPhone and iPod Touch for some time now and has a great range of features including single player, local multi-player and multi-player via Facebook and it’s a well put together application. However, EA & Hasbro have launched a new version of Scrabble for the iPad with all the existing features and fun of the original plus a whole lot more.
There are many word games available in the App Store already but Scrabble is the master, with it’s simple rules and scoring system it’s a game that everyone can play and now rather than having to carry around a Scrabble board and all the tiles, not to mention a pad and paper to calculate the scores ‘Scrabble for the iPad’ offers a real alternative playing scrabble with a group of people. This is because in addition to the versions of the games that you can play on the iPhone and iPod Touch you can now play in Pass ‘n Play mode as well as my personal favorite Party Play mode.
Before I get into those great new versions of the game lets talk a little about the style of the game. If you’ve played Scrabble on the other devices before you will be very familiar with the polished style of the graphics and presentations and they have continued with that style here on the iPad although it now looks even better and sleeker on the bigger brighter screen.
The background music to the game is nice and soothing, although it is a little short and when playing for any length of time it will look all too frequently. Not to worry though as you can either turn the music off altogether or simply listen to your own music from your iPad instead.
The other three game options are Play Now, Facebook and Local Network Play. Play Now lets you play against the AI of the iPad and in addition to the standard options of Game Style and Dictionary type you can also chose between Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty levels. Local Network play allows you to play against a friend who also has an iPad with Scrabble on it while the Facebook games allows you to compete one move at a time against 3 other friends via Facebook. All three of these options are well implemented and play smoothly and seamlessly.
However, it’s in the remaining two modes that Scrabble for the iPad really makes it mark showing not only how a classic board game should be ported to a device but also in the innovative way you can play. Pass ‘n Play mode allows up to 4 players to play Scrabble on a single iPad. The usual options are available before you start including the 5 game style, these include the classic game mode for those with time on their hands, and the 75 point and 8 round game for the times where you want to keep the game a little shorter.
Launching the game sets player 1 with his tiles ready to place them on the board and it’s a simple task of dragging and dropping the tiles onto the board before clicking the Play button to submit the word. When it’s Player 2’s turn the screen hides the tiles and waits for Player 2 to click ok, hence preventing the other players form seeing their letters as the iPad is passed around. It works great and is ideal for when you want to play Scrabble with a group of friends. The only downside of this Pass ‘n Play mode is that you can’t change the default names meaning you have to remember your player number as you pass the iPad around.
Having said that though what if you hand all of you friends not only have an iPad between you but also all have iPhones or iPod Touches? Well then you are in for a treat as instead on using Pass ‘n Play you can select Party Play instead. With Party Play all the players can use their iPod Touches or iPhones to download a free Scrabble Tile rack. With this installed they can join the game over either local Wifi or Bluetooth and use it to keep all of their tiles on not only allowing them to keep their tiles even more secure form prying eyes but also allowing them to work on their word selection while they wait.
Once it’s your turn to play and have your word ready all it takes is a flick of your finger on each tile and it magically appears on the tile rack on the iPad which is acting as the playing board. From there you can simply drag and drop your letters onto the board and score your points. Not only is this innovative in it’s design but also superbly implemented, reactive and robust. We played our first game over a two hour period and not once did any of the players have any technical difficulties with the game and that even include a couple of times when players had to exit their tile racks to use their iDevices for other reasons.
For Party Play alone Scrabble for the iPad fully justifies it’s $9.99 price tag and with all the other game styles available there is no reason not to have this game on your iPad. It’s a must have app that not only brings non-iPad owners in on the fun but also shows off everything that the iPad is about.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $9.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.55
Size: 12.6 MB
Language: English
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2008 Hasbro. US and Canada Only.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Ace Omicron [rating: 4/5]
If you are a retro gamer then you will remember the classic game Asteroids where you took control of four straight white lines that formed the shape of a space ship. Also on the screen were a plethora of other straight white lines joined together into the shape of asteroids and it was your task to shoot the asteroids into a million pieces before they plough into you.
Well, Asteroids has been brought up to the modern day in this apparently Asteroids inspired shoot-em up. You take the role of Eden Jackson as she fights for her life as the 3D asteroids hurtle around the screen. The 3D graphics look polished although it’s not the graphics that will make or break this style of game. Instead it’s the pick-up-n-play feel of the game that will keep you coming back for more.
The controls are simple enough to pick up. You can either move your spaceship around the screen by touching on the screen where-ever you would like it to travel or you can click on the air-breaks and fix your spaceship in it’s location and just concentrate on shooting the Asteroids. I found this later method easier but there was still occasions where I needed to move around the screen to avoid imminent death!
While the controls work well it’s often easy to find yourself covering the screen with your hand as you try to move around the screen so it would be nice if an alternate control method was available such as a virtual d-pad and action buttons.
In addition to the asteroids that are careering around the screen there are also random robots and ufo’s ad unlike the passive asteroids these will also shoot back at you! There’s a lot going on at all times and there aren’t any opportunities to take your eyes off of the screen.
There are also 3 styles of play. Classic mode is my preferred style of play. You start with nothing and while you are blowing up the asteroids you can also collect gems that earn you money. Between each level you then get to choose which power-ups you want equip your ship with from a range of 20+ upgrades. Twilight mode has nothing to do with vampires and instead maximizes all your power-ups from the start and your task is just to survive as long as you can while Hyper mode offers the middle ground where the gaining of power-ups is handle automatically for you.
A full on multi-play mode would be nice but the integration of OpenFeint with it’s leader boards and achievements goes some way to address that by adding an additional competitive edge to the game allowing you to compare your best scores to your OpenFeint Friends.
In addition it’s nice to see that this is a universal app meaning that the same game will work on both your iPhone/iPod Touch and your iPad if you have one. There are no additional features in the iPad version but you don’t have to use the 2x scaling option meaning that it looks great on the iPad too.
If you like shoot-em-ups and specifically the retro fun of Asteroids you would love Ace Omicron for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Apr 11, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
Size: 16.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: Casey Gatti
© 2010 Jake Peterson, ProRattaFactor
Rated 9+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later.
Heavy Gunner 3D for iPad [rating: 5/5]
A great game that plays even better on the iPad!
Com2us have ported another of their quality titles to the iPad and this time it’s Heavy Gunner 3D for iPad. Back in February this year we reviewed and rated Heavy Gunner 3D when it was released for iPhone and iPod Touch. We commented on the great graphics, sound, controls and the immersive environment and rated it with an unmissable score of 5/5. You can read the full review here for more details.
Even at this early stage many developers have created unique versions of their existing applications that utilize the extra capacity of the iPad from the extra power to the extra space and it’s resulted in some great games. However in a similar situation to the iPad specific release from Com2us of Homerun Battle 3D the iPad version of Heavy Gunner 3D is nothing more than a slightly tweaked version of the original. No additional features, no additional levels just graphics that have been updated to look better on the iPad compared to the original application being expanded to x2.
One area that has definitely improved from the move to the iPad is the controls. Nothing has changed in the control method between the two version of the game but the extra size gives you a greater level of accuracy in aim your two weapons. Controlling the weapons is via the two virtual pads in the bottom left and right hand corner of the screen which you control using both thumbs. Each weapon is independent of the other and it’s much easier to use them independently in this new version on the iPad than it was on previous version which lends itself to a more enjoyable playing experience.
The wave after wave of enemies are just as ferocious as ever and do look great on the larger screen and the sound now sounds great even when you don’t use earphones for an even more immersive feel. You can still upgrade you weapons which you will certainly need to do if you plan to progress through the 25+ missions.
Despite the lack of additional features between the iPhone/iPod Touch version and this iPad version Heavy Gunner 3D for iPad is still a great game and even at $2 more than the iPhone/iPod Touch original it’s still a worthy addition to your application arsenal.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.0
Size: 21.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: Com2us USA, Inc.
© 2010 Com2uS
Rated 9+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad [rating: 4/5]
An Entertaining Short Adventure Set in Olde London Town
Much of the success in the world is not necessarily about how good something is but more about timing and so on the back of the recent release of the Hollywood version of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. Warner Bros have released Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad. So it certainly meets the criteria for success on the timing, how does it stand up on the quality issue?
The game is an adventure game that see’s you take the role of Sherlock Holmes in a point and click style adventure. There are two separate mysteries to solve in the game and in addition the iPad version comes with a mini game called Puzzle Boxing Tourney where you are challenged to fight your way through 12 different boxers to become the boxing champion. The style of the boxing mini-game is a simple multi-touch game where you need to touch the different bubbles as they appear on the screen. It’s a simple game and getting through the 12 different fighters is going to be based on the speed of your reactions. Too slow and your opponent will land punches on you before you can retaliate and you’ll soon find yourself counting the birds as they fly around your head.
The mini-game is not going to be the reason you buy this game, it’s very repetitive and is relatively unexciting so let’s get back to the investigations themselves.
As mentioned previously there are two mysteries to solve, The Missing Memento & Case of the Innocent Man and both are independent of each other and can be played at any time.
The game is obviously set in Victorian London and the graphics and sound reflect that pretty well. The graphics are good and help to set the Olde London Scene pretty well as do the sound effects and incidental sounds.
You start the game in a bar, a place where many a good mystery starts, and you are introduced to the basics of the control mechanism and interacting with the various characters. You can look around each of the locations by simply dragging your finger across the screen and any characters that you can interact with are high-lighted and you can click on the interact button on the top of the screen.
The conversations between the characters are well written and engaging but it’s a shame that they are all text based and that no vocal acting has been used through out the game as that would definitely made the game more enjoyable.
As you would expect speaking to the various characters will lead you the clues you need to solve prevent an innocent man from being convicted of murder.
As you move around the various locations which you can do via the map you will need to solve a variety of puzzles. These will include a hidden object style game where you search the screen for clues, a lock picking game reminiscent of the classic lock picking game and the foot chase where you need to out-maneuver those attempting to catch you.
The puzzles offer a nice variety but there is no penalty for failing any of them meaning that you can simple repeat them until you are successful which reduces the enjoyment of the game as you know that you can just keep trying until you succeed.
The game is very linear too. There are limited options to take different paths through the game and you simply have to follow the flow of the game.
The first of the two mysteries is pretty short and you’ll have the mystery solved relatively quickly. The 2nd mystery though is more involved and you will find yourself getting drawn into the story more offering a much more satisfying game.
It would be nice if additional mysteries are provided via additional updates but even without them at just $2.99 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad is an entertaining game all be it a short one.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 55.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: Warner Bros. Entertainment
WB™ & © and Frogwares™ (S10)
Rated 12+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Infrequent/Mild Simulated Gambling
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Thumpies XL adds Multi-player Fun to the Crazy Rhythm Game!
I guess it’s not surprising that for every brand new app in the iPad App Store there appears to be 2 conversions from the iPhone/iPod Touch Store and Thumpies XL is one of the ones that is a conversion of it’s iPhone/iPod Touch counterpart. Back in February we reviewed the original version of the game and loved it’s originality, it’s childish horror style and how addictive it was. (Click here to read the full review).
Thumpies XL is a rhythm based game where you have to build up a basic beat to a cavalcade of beats. This is done by tapping along to the beats as little balls of beastliness bounce on toadstools and tree trunks. The beats are unique, infectious and entertaining and as you continually hit the beats accurately your progress bar builds to complete the level. In addition to hitting your beats there is also the task of collecting butterflies as they flutter around the screen. Grabbing the butterflies allows you to unlock more of the Thumpies that are then used in later levels.
None of this is any different though from the the original Thumpies although the larger screen does make it easier to play. Unlike some other recent conversion to the iPad Thumpies XL includes a new feature as well as all the original craziness. There are still the same 16 unique levels, each of them offering a new rhythm for you to tap along to but in additional each of these 16 levels can now be played in 2 player mode.
In two player mode the game area splits in two and is both co-operative and competitive. Completing the beat is now up to both players and it’s your combined efforts that will enable you to complete the level with each player then getting ranked on the % of accurate hits.
This adds an extra dimension to the game and while the two player mode could have included more such as a non-cooperative version where you compete to complete the tune first and have power-ups that interfere with your opponents Thumpies it’s a lot of fun.
Also, while playing Thumpies XL my daughter was instantly attracted by the unique sounds of the Thumpies as they bounced around the screen and the larger screen allowed her to help me by taking care of the butterfly collection duties, adding a further unintentional two player co-operative mode to the game.
Selecting one of the 16 levels is done by tapping on one of the icons hanging from a tree. I noticed that just to the right of the main tree there is a smaller tree beginning to grow, perhaps this suggests future tracks and levels with a future update. I certainly hope so.
Thumpies XL takes the original Thumpies and adds a decent multi-player option that takes advantage of the iPads large screen. If you are a fan of rhythm games then you will love the unique crazy horror style of Thumpies XL and it continues to be a highly recommend game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Mar 31, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 150 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Seller: Big Blue Bubble
© Big Blue Bubble 2010
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Homerun Battle 3D for iPad [rating: 4/5]
Back in June 2009 we reviewed a game that at the time was called Baseball Slugger (click here to read our original review), it is now called Homerun Battle 3D and it’s is now available in an iPad version. At the time we raved about it’s great graphics, intuitive controls and amazing online integration and with the iPad version all of this is still valid.
Since it’s original release new features have been added to the Homerun Battle 3D and this is mainly around the addition of the ability to purchase uniforms to customize both the look and statistics of your character via in game purchases. This is a quick way to boost your characters stats for those that don’t want to earn them the hard way by hitting golden baseballs for home runs. The good thing about these uniforms is that not only do they boost your power and control but they look great too.
The uniforms will set you back between 99c and $20, (yes $20!), so whether you feel that they are all worth the price is another matter, but they do allow you to fast track your character progression and for those players that have already built up there character on their iPhone or iPod Touch this may be a necessity, all be it one that shouldn’t be required!
So as previously mentioned if you’ve played Homerun Battle 3D on your iPhone or iPod Touch and have built your character up with maximum stats on your baseball player there is no way to transfer that progress from one device to the other. This means that not only are you buying the application again but you are going to have to start over or pay up additional $’s on top of the price of the iPad version of the app itself to quickly get back up to your previous level. In releasing a version for the iPad the fact that you can’t transfer your progress is a huge item to omit.
The games graphics have been tweaked slightly but not significantly enough that you can notice without comparing the two application side by side and there are no additional features, game styles or options in this new iPad version.
All that being said Homerun Battle 3D for iPad is a great game, just read the original review here to see how good it is. The game play is addictive, the satisfaction of hitting a home run is still a pleasure and the online play is second to know in it’s integration, smoothness and speed.
If you already have Homerun Battle 3D for you iPhone/iPod Touch you may want to stick with what you have, although you’ll still lose all your progress if you install that app on a new device too, if you haven’t played this game before it will be one of the best $5 you’ve spent on an app.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Mar 09, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.3.5
Size: 18.4 MB
Languages: English, French, Japanese
Seller: Com2uS Corp.
© 2009 Com2uS
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.