You play as a rising Quarterback in a quest to make a dream career. The game features 32 teams and you make lifestyle and career decisions to rise to the top. If you’re a fan of real-life sports simulations then All Star Quarterback is certainly worth checking out.

Some of the features include:

• Play the ultimate Pro Football lifestyle simulator!
• Work your way from Rookie to become the Most Valuable Player
• Master the playbook
• Watch the fantasy TV-style match simulation
• Hit the gym: train your QB in mini-games
• Build your lifestyle: buy anything from clothes to private jets
• Gain sponsors with payouts and missions
• Stunning 3D engine with retina graphics

Be sure you keep the energy levels of your player high, if you run low on energy you have to purchase energy drinks to keep going. Energy drinks can be bought with in-game currency which is earned as you play and get salary. Of course, you can use in-app purchase to advance by paying real money in exchange for in-game currency.

Mini-games help you train your player and increase fitness levels. However, technical and physical capabilities aren’t enough. You are also tasked with keeping high social ratings by engaging with fans, coach and media.

All Star Quarterback is a universal game available for both iPhone and iPad. Let us know what you think about the game in the comments below.

Firemonkeys have announced that Real Racing 3 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch will be available for download on February 28th. The adrenaline rushing racing simulation has been widely popular on the App Store. The original Real Racing was developed by Firemint and then developers released the second version. The developers were then acquired by EA.

The third installment of the racing simulation will be free-to-play. Real Racing 3 features “46 licensed vehicles covering 3 classes, a 22 car grid, real world tracks, 8 varied event types and 900+ events.” The freemium model will make the newest racing title from EA free to download and then unlock content either by advancing in the game or by buying in-game content.

Real Racing 3 was designed from the ground up to be a free to play experience. We are so excited about this game and wanted it to be accessible to everyone so we didn’t want there to be any barriers to entry.

The title features “Time Shifted” multiplayer mode, where you can compete with another players race even if they’re not online at the same time. What’s interesting about this feature is that your race could impact the other users’ time as you race to win.

The developers promise to “add more free and exciting content with every update.” Real Racing 3 is certainly one of the highly anticipated racing games on iOS for 2013 and it will be interesting to see how the freemium model works out for EA.

# 10 Mini Motor Racing

I love my racing games and Mini Motor Racing came as a great addition to my iPhone. A top down racer with you a 5 opponents racing around beautiful looking and designed tracks makes for a lot of fun, frantic action.

There’s a great career mode, local multi-player and the ability to upgrade you car to challenge with the most fast and aggressive of opponents. Additional value is add by the GameCenter integration which consists of 16 achievements and leader-boards for all 22 tracks.

Mini Motor Racing can be grabbed from the App Store for just $1.99.

# 9 Tiny Tower

Tiny Tower by NimbleBit is the ultimate in addictive simulation game where you become the owner, manager and contractor of a tiny tower where you aim is to make it huge. Huge that is in the sense of the number of floors as it’s your task to build level after level of residential, commercial and retail stores.

The game uses a freemium model where the initial purchase is free and you can speed up your progress via in game purchase. That being said though in all the time I played it I never ended up spending an additional dime.

If you haven’t given Tiny Tower a try yet I urge you to do so although be prepared to not see your family and friends for a while as your addiction takes hold!

# 8 DrawRace 2

Another racing game makes it to my top 10 and this time with a whole new control system ideally suited to the touch screen of the iDevice. DrawRace 2 is another top down racer but this time instead of controlling your vehicle with an accelerator and a steering wheel you draw the path you wish your vehicle to take. It takes a bit to get used to but the satisfaction of getting around a sharp hairpin at full speed and in first place never gets tiring.

There are a range of vehicles all with differently handling and skills that can be unlocked as you progress and the tracks look wonderful too. If you are looking for a racing game with something a little different look no further than DrawRace 2, available in the App Store for just 99c for a limited time.

# 7 Moogies

This one finds it’s way into the Top 10 mainly thanks to my daughter who is addicted to the fun game aimed at the younger age market.

The 9 Moogies are a variety of brightly colored farmyard animals that live in a barn. Each one can be clicked on and you will enter their weird and wonderful world. From a horse on a treadmill, a vacuuming cow and an experimenting mouse the animals are all kept pretty busy. The animals and their surroundings can also all be interacted with and along with the great sounds and music the game can keep a child entertained for as long as you’ll let them play with it.

The great thing about it for us adults is the fact that it’s not annoying, in fact I will quite happily find myself humming along to the music all day long at times! The Moogies is a universal app which is available in the App Store now for just 99 cents.

# 6 dream:scape

This audio and visual delight of a game takes you on a mysterious adventure where you are to solve a range of puzzles to to uncover the truth about your characters life.

You unravel the dark mystery as you wander around the rural location that is beautifully rendered on both the iPhone and iPad. The controls are intuitive and as you play the game you’ll find yourself engrossed in the excellent story telling.

While a little short in length it’s an experience not to be missed. dream:scape is available in the App Store for $2.99 and is a universal app.

# 5 W.E.L.D.E.R.

There have been plenty of new and worthy word games released for iDevices this year and for many people W.E.L.D.E.R. possibly flew under the radar, it most certainly shouldn’t though.

W.E.L.D.E.R. is played on a 8 x 8 grid of letters and the aim is to make as many words as possible while swapping as few tiles as you can. While swapping adjacent tiles is the main way to move them you can unlock the ability to jump, reverse and group tiles. These additional options are limited though and are earned by scoring points.

I thought I would miss the fact that there is no mulit-player option but the challenge to clear each level by completing the required number of words with the given number of moves makes you want to not socialize anyway!

W.E.L.D.E.R. is another universal app and is available in the App Store for $1.99.

# 4 Bike Baron

More racing in my top 10 games of 2011 only this time it of the two wheel variety and instead of racing around a track against other opponents this time you are racing against yourself along a crazy motorcycle assault course.

The controls are simple yet effective and your success is measured on each track on three conditions consisting mainly of beating a set time, collecting all the coins and completing the course.
There are 70 different tracks to complete, either riding as the Bike Baron or as a gorilla! But in addition to these pre-built tracks Bike Baron comes with a track editor that not only allows you to build tracks to race yourself but allows you to share them with your friends and the Bike Baron community.

At just 99c Bike Baron is available in the App Store now as a universal application.

# 3 Angry Birds Rio

The Angry Birds juggernaut continued in 2011 not only with the original Angry Birds and it’s follow up in Angry Birds Seasons but also with the release of it’s movie tie-in 3rd game Angy Birds Rio.

The saying goes that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and Rovio have certainly achieved that with Angry Birds Rio and with 6 episodes, 180 levels and 90 pieces of fruit to find there is plenty to keep you busy including a new bird that appears occasionally and which is not available in the other Angry Birds games.

If you are looking for a game to while away the hours then Angry Birds Rio will certainly achieve that with the even more charm, fun and entertainment as the two previous incarnations.

Purchasing Angry Birds Rio for just 99c from the App Store could be one of the best dollars you’ve ever spent.

# 2 Jetpack Joyride

When this game fell into my lap to review I was completely taken by surprise. All you need is one finger and fast reactions to enjoy this game as you power your jetpack wearing character along the never-ending level.

As you attempt to travel as far as you can you must avoid death by navigating around a variety of both static and moving lasers as well as rockets which aim to stop your progress. While the ultimate purpose of the game is to get as far as you can before you crash and burn the mini-objectives that you care challenged to complete on each and every turn keep things interesting as you always have something to achieve.

As you play you will also earn coins that you can then spend on power-ups, new cloths and a range of different jetpacks.

The balance of this game is in that sweet spot that just keeps you coming back for more and as a universal app it’s which is currently FREE in the App Store Jetpack Joyride is a must for every iPhone/iPad owner.

# 1 Grand Theft Auto 3

The irony of a game that was originally released in 2001 making the number 1 spot for 2011 is not lost on me, however the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 in it’s full form onto an iPhone is an amazing feat in itself.

The fact that it’s been done so well providing a huge open world environment of gorgeous sprawling city streets and a storyline which takes murder, revenge, violence and criminality to a whole new level Grand Theft Auto 3 has not been off of my device since it was downloaded and installed.

It loads fast, plays fast and is quick to jump in and out off which considering its a huge game is a great achievement.

While this may be the most expensive game in my top 10 it easily provides the best value for money and will provide hours and hours violent enjoyment! Get is from the App Store today and you won’t be disappointed.

As the title suggest Ducati Challenge for iPhone is a motobike racing game especially for the Ducati enthusiast. Having said that however the game will also appeal to all motorbike racers as knowledge or love of the Ducati range of bikes is not required.

Review

The game is part sim part arcade style with the looks of a sim racer, accurate bikes, beautiful tracks and realistic racing but easy racing, no customization and difficult to crash. It’s a nice balance though and makes it easy to pick up and play.

All the standard game modes are included, Quick Challenge, Championship and a local multi-player are all offered. The tracks in Quick Challenge becomming available as you unlock them across the 3 championships modes which cover Easy, Medium and Hard difficulty levels.

As mentioned previously the game is easy to play, the accelerometer controls your steering while virtual buttons on the left and right bottom corners of the screen act as your accelerator and brake. Not that you will need your brake if you leave the default settings enabled where the bike will auto-brake for you.

If you want a bit more of a challenge however I would recommend turning this feature off as it will immediately up the difficulty level regardless of the level you are playing on.

The AI riders are relatively laid back in their riding and collisions generally only occur when you drive into them rather than the other way round. The game is relatively forgiving when it comes to crashing, knocking other riders and/or the scenery will require a lot of speed if it’s actually going to hit you off of your bike.

While coming off of your bike is forgiving getting your line wrong around the track is less so and this is where your competitors will look to take advantage.

Each of the tracks look great, I especially enjoyed the tracks that went in and out of city streets, and as you progress you will unlock more tracks and more Ducati’s each one more powerful than the rest.

The championship modes include over 20 challenges in total but even after completing these the local wifi multi-player and the 25 achievements that can be unlocked via GameCenter will keep you entertained for a little while longer. Shame no online multi-player is available however.

The other frustrations with the game are the navigation system which while looking nice the buttons are often difficult to hit accurately and the sound which both from a music and sound effects point of view are a little uninspiring.

The game is available on both the iPhone and iPad although while there appears to be little difference between the two titles it’s not a universal app and therefore requires to be purchased twice if you wanted to play on both devices should you have them.

Pros

• Good looking graphics
• Ducati lovers dream
• Easy to pick up and play

Cons

• No online multi-player
• Tricky menu system

Deer Hunter: African Safari for iPad [rating: 4/5]

First there was Deer Hunter, then Deer Hunter for iPad, then Deer Hunter: African Safari and now Deer Hunter: African Safari for iPad.  They do say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and that certainly appears to be the case with Glu’s popular hunting series.

If you’ve played any of the series before then you can skip the next few paragraphs as nothing has changed with the fourth in the series, however if you are new to the game read on.

As the name suggests Deer Hunter: African Safari for iPad places you in the heart of Africa with a gun in hand to bag yourself so big trophies and while there are African deer in your sights it’s the glamour animals that really catch the eye.

The main part of the game is the Safari where over three different locations you are challenged to kill a range of animals to achieve a given score.  Scoring is based on the size of the animal comparative to it’s breed so going for the elephant is not always the best choice even if your instinct tells you otherwise. Points will be lost should you leave a wounded animaanon the field when the day is over.

Navigating your safari is done via your GPS, touching a location on your map or dragging your finger across the screen will move you to that destination.  Should you get within range of a target the animals prints will appear on your map and if you aren’t all ready shown what the animal is you can move towards the animal prints again to see what it is.  If you like the type of animal, and its size, you can select to enter the field of action, choose your location and take aim.

Once you are in the field the cross hair of your gun will appear on screen.  You can control your aim by dragging your finger across the screen, not only to take aim on any given animal but also to scan the full playing area that goes beyond either side of the iPad’s screen.  Once you’ve decided on which animal you are going to take down you can zoom in and use the ‘steady’ button to minimize the amount of shake.  With the animal firmly in your sights you can tap the screen anywhere to fire.  You can customize the control to enable a dedicated fire button but I found the ability to tap anywhere on the screen to work the best.

You have a full day to bag yourself 5 animals and should your score minus any deductions total the target score then you will unlock the next Safari.  There are 12 levels to unlock in total with 4 difficulties spread over 3 locations and they will take you a while to complete thanks to the challeging nature of the scores you’ll need to beat.

As you progress you will unlock access to new weapons, accessories and skills that help you aim, shoot and remain un-detected by the animals.  It’s very important as in Deer Hunter: African Safari some animals will charge to devastating effect. If you don’t want to work for your rewards you can purchase up to 3 add-on packs which will enable all the additional features from the start.  To be honest though I didn’t find them necessary and got more satisfaction from unlocking the items myself.

The game looks as great as ever, not as good as on the iPhone 4 but still the African plains look great on the iPads screen and for the most part the animals look realistic too. In game menu’s are clear and easy to navigate and the sounds are appropriately authentic sounding throughout the game too.

As hunting games go I know no better, however Glu appear to be taking the easy options with these titles.  Considering that the iPhone and iPad games are the same I see no reason why they shouldn’t be a universal app, if not then why not add some additional features that take advantage of the additional real estate that the iPad offers.

If you already have Deer Hunter: African Safari for your iPhone there is minimal reason to buy this version for your iPad, however if you are new to the genre and want to bag yourself some big game then you can’t go far wrong with this excellent hunting game.

Pros

• Big game hunting at it’s best
• Sleek intuitive controls
• Multiple upgrades of weapons and skills

Cons

• Still the same old game

$6.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Oct 28, 2010
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0
157 MB
Language: English
Seller: Glu Games Inc
© 2010 Glu Mobile, Inc.
Rated 12+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Realistic Violence
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later

We City [rating: 5/5]

Ngmoco the developers who brought you the castle building game We Rule and the follow on farming game We Farm have released their newest game We City for iPhone.

They have carried on the theme from their previous games, this game is all about building your own city and earning cash as you go. Creating a place you can only dream about and then share and swap ideas with your friends.

As always you start off with their usual easy tutorial. So if you have never played one of their games before you will still have no problems picking this one up. The tutorial starts by showing you how to build your first house, business, college and how to place orders with your friends. These are the main things you need to know and once you do you are off!

You need to earn cash to buy more items and build up your city. So you can do this in various ways. Building a few homes for your citizens will earn you a small amount so initially the game encourages you to do just that.

Next is to set up a few factories. In your factory you build or make items to be sold, so where in We Farm and We Rule you have crops growing this is what you have ‘growing’ instead. The items you can make to sell all depend on what level you are at within the game, so at first you can make pototo chips, clothes, action figures and other items like boats and motor cycles. These all take time to supply and are all in real time. So if it says it will take twelve hours it really will take twelve hours! So you do need to pop back now and then to check if they are ready to ship.

Another source of income is to have a college. There you can conduct research and study. When you have a college keep an eye out for the lightbulb symbol. Tap it and it increases your research to unlock special buildings for things like courthouses and museums.

There are also shops and fast food restaurants to be built in your city and this is where your Plus+ friends can visit your city and place orders. This then earns both of you cash. As you go higher in the game levels you will unlock different businesses. There are also clothes shops, gas stations, fire stations, basically anything that you would normally find in a busy city.

You can also decorate your city to make it look how ever you want it to. There are trees and flowers to use, or build your own paths and roads with tiny little traffic lights placed at crossroads. Then there is the little things like payphones, street lamps and ice cream vans. You can even purchase a car to go with your house.

The more things you buy, build and sell, it will earn you cash and also xp which is experience points. These points are what enable you to move up a level. The more your earn in xp the more you will unlock for your city. You can also expand it at set levels throughout the game.

Every time you place a building or decoration it brings with it citizens for your city. Now you can’t do anything with them but they do make the city look busy and on the move.

If you find things are moving a little slow for you, you can use what is called zap to speed the game up. For example if you want to be able to send your friend their order of drinks straight away, click on the store, it will tell you how much zap you need to speed it up then just tap use zap.

You are given zap to start off with and then you earn some as you reach each new level. If you require any more you will have to purchase that via the apps in-app purchase feature. This is the same as We Rule and We Farm and is something you do not actually need to buy to play the game fully it is just there incase you want to play at a faster pace.

The graphics and sounds are very similar to the other games. The factories make some great noises when producing your goods to ship. If you tap on the people they mumble a few words, although half the time you can’t understand what they are saying!

If you make an error placing a factory or house some where do not worry. There is also the option to rebuild, in another words move, your items. This can take time as sometimes you might tap on the wrong item so it does require a small amout of patience.

The game is currerently available in Canada only but will be coming worldwide soon. In the mean time if you are playing We City feel free to add your Plus+ name below to maximize your business sales!

Pros

• Great social networking game
• Hours of play.
• Good graphics

Cons

• Icon is very basic.

Price: Free (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 20, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 32.7 MB
Language:English
Seller:ngmoco, Inc.
© 2010 ngmoco, Inc.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.

iPirate [rating: 5/5]

It is the great joy of discovery when an app exceeds your expectations. There are a lot of mediocre iPhone games out there and I thought I had run squarely into one with iPirate. To my joy and surprise though, I found iPirate to be a fun and engaging game that’s hard to put down.

iPirate from Go Games is a simulation and resource management game. In it, you play a pirate learning the ropes from Black Beard the pirate. iPirate divides the action between battle and resource management and distribution. During the battle portion of the game, you must attack enemy ships with your cannons. Cannons are loaded by dragging a round from the available ammunition stocks on to the cannon you want to fire. When you’re ready to fire press and hold the cannon, letting go when you’re ready to fire. Holding the cannon for longer increases the distance of the shot; quickly tap for close ships and press and hold for those further away. You can impart a curve in other direction to your shot by tilting your iPhone one way or the other.

Some ships may take multiple shots to sink while others will crumble under the first shot. Sinking a ship will add its gold to your treasury. Unfortunately, ships will defend themselves with cannon fire but this can be blocked by tapping the cannonball in air before it reaches your ship. If your ship is hit you can repair it with points purchased with the gold you win in each battle.

The resource management aspect of the game kicks in after each battle. At Lisa’s shop you can purchase items to further your career as a pirate. In the ammunition shop you can buy and sell various types of ammunition. Improved ammunition costs more but has advanced capabilities. It’s a good idea to keep a good mixture of ammo to accommodate various situations. In the cannon shop you can upgrade the cannons on your ship for increased effectiveness and attack. In the ship shop you can repair and upgrade your ship and buy repair points used during the battle portion of the game.

Play is campaign based as you battle your way through increasingly difficult levels on a map. I found the game play to be varied and increasingly difficult enough to keep me engaged and interested. I would have liked a free play option but that doesn’t really detract from the overall quality of the game. As I admitted at the beginning of this review, I didn’t really know what to expect from this game but what I got was an interesting turn on the simulation genre in a fun package. iPirate also implements the OpenFeint social gaming system with a unique set of achievements and global high score system.

iPirate is a fun and engaging game that you might overlook in the App Store. Don’t. Pick up this game for an exciting adventure full of swashbuckling fun!

The Good:

• Interesting turn on the simulation genre
• Engaging gameplay
• OpenFeint enabled

The Not So Good:

• No free play option

Reviewed By: Erin Peterson

iPirate Gameplay

Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Reviewed Version 1.0.1
Size: 31.9 MB
Seller: DMYTRO LUKASH

Piranha Pond – Koi Frenzy tries to bring you the same experience of watching fish swimming in your own Pond with an unusual twist. The unusual twist is that you can feed the Piranha by shaking your device and the rapacious fish rush to murderously attack and satisfy their blood thirst. As the Piranha attack the koi the pond fills with blood and it will nibble away your finger if you touch the screen for too long. Tilting your device horizontally brings up the underwater 3D view to enjoy watching your Piranha feasting on koi.

Piranha Pond – Koi Frenzy does not feature any help menu or customization options, which is quite atypical. The app is an interesting spoof of Koi Pond however, the graphics and simulation need further improvement.

The developers are looking for your suggestions as they ask “What should we feed them next?” Have an idea? Leave a comment below and it might get added in the next update!

We are giving away 4 promo codes for Piranha Pond – Koi Frenzy, Retweet this post to win!

Price: $.99

Among all the puzzle games, card games and sports like games lies EggRunner, a ground-breaking, amusing and inventive game. This game is no yoke.

To be the best Egg Runner, there is only one simple rule, don’t let the egg fall.

The game requires concentration, skill but most importantly balance. Your mission is to balance a virtual raw egg (minus the shell) on the surface without letting it slip off the edge. The graphics are incredible. The egg looks, acts and behaves exactly like a raw egg. The egg white flows perfectly across the surface.

To control the eggs’ movement you use the iPhones accelerometer. The user can double tap to pause the game, take a call etc. There is another built in feature that is also used in this game – the proximity sensor. This allows the player to swat the pesky flies that roam around and land on your egg. One can do this by the wave of your hand across the screens’ proximity sensor or by touch, swiping your finger over the flies and off the screen.

The levels increase in difficulty. For example, the surface becomes more slippery, additional eggs are added and more flies appear making your mission full of obstacles. Don’t worry about losing your best times. Your progress is automatically saved and recorded in your very own hall of fame.

There are two game modes to choose from. 1) Time Trial – you’re battling time as you try to keep the egg balanced for as long as possible. 2) Challenge Mode – you have to progress through the timed levels with increasing difficulty.

Currently a “major” update for the game is finishing up. This means double the content and improvements. Most obvious will be:

• Online high scores tracking, leaderboards and achievements.
• New themes will be added to refresh the look of the game.
• Facebook connection, so that players can share their achievements with their friends.

But that’s not all; the developers have more tricks up their sleeves. Apart from Challenge Mode and Time Trial, EggRunner will feature another completely new game mode with different mechanics and looks. To top it off, they are including a minigame with a distinct and unique game play. One can only imagine how EggRunner will look after this unique and exciting face-lift.

Price $.99

The Good

• Highly detailed CGI graphics
• Employs all aspects of the control mechanisms, including proximity sensor
• Game play is quite simple and straightforward
• In the next free update you can expect many exiting features

The Not So Good

• Monotonous after time
• Waiting for the upgrade

Reviewed By: Dana Sperling

Win iPhone Games for Free!

To win EggRunner promo codes retweet this post and leave a comment

EggRunner Gameplay Video

]]> https://touchreviews.net/eggrunner-iphone-game-review-amusing/feed/ 13 https://touchreviews.net/aera-iphone-preview-flight-simulator/ https://touchreviews.net/aera-iphone-preview-flight-simulator/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:26:26 +0000 https://touchreviews.net/?p=2698 Read More]]>

Like many others we love games which utilize the power of 3D graphics in iPhone, offer addictive gameplay combined with high action and replay value.

Aera defined as “casual 2.5D flight simulator” has been in development for a long time (first video was posted in July) and now it’s ready to hit the app store any day.

ichromo updated their twitter status today saying:

Finally! Aera is submitted to the AppStore; status is “in review”. Sorry, it took us so long

The trailer looks very impressive and the 3D environment is gorgeous. Aera boasts of it’s “Advanced and carefully tuned physics simulation” which is quite evident in the trailer.

Aera for iPhone/iPod touch promises high replay value by offering different game modes (Aerobatic, Dog-fight, Race & Free Flight), multiplayer game, weapons to unlock and more airplanes.

ichromo has undeniably packed every possible feature which would make ‘Aera’ a success on App Store!

Aera for iPhone: Trailer

]]> https://touchreviews.net/aera-iphone-preview-flight-simulator/feed/ 0 https://touchreviews.net/virtual-families-review-iphone-game/ https://touchreviews.net/virtual-families-review-iphone-game/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:31:53 +0000 https://touchreviews.net/?p=2152 Read More]]> [rating: 3/5]

If you’ve already played through the Sims you may be looking for similar challenge and that is what Virtual Families offers with it’s real time game play, achievements, puzzles, marriage and child birth. Virtual Families looks like it could be a complete replacement to your real day to day life.

Virtual Families is a casual family sim that runs in true real time. Adopt a little person from the thousands of choices of little people who live inside your iPhone. Encourage them to work in their chosen career to earn money for necessities and luxuries, help them choose a suitable mate, start and raise a family, let them kick back with a variety of leisure activities, and take care of and improve their home.

Firing up VF’s throw’s you immediately into your white, middle-class home and life style. A big house in suburbia is fully fitted out and waiting for you to move into and other than an initial trash clean up your home is in immaculate condition. It also appears that your life is too as within a couple of minutes of game-play a virtual wife, (or husband) is offered to you via email! You don’t have to accept the first husband offered but if you do you are quickly on your way to your nuclear family and getting your first child is pretty easy too. You can either drag and drop one of your characters onto the other to initiate a strange fertility dance or you can adopt a child. And while the game makers will allow a single parent family via adoption there’s no option to have a same sex marriage with or without children. This is definitely 1960’s suburbia in all it’s glory.

Your family has many chores to do and this is handled neatly enough by simply dragging and dropping them to the appropriate area in your house or yard. As is usual your virtual character will give you hints as to what they wish to and you can also see a view of their current needs via the details tab. Keeping their Happiness, Health, Fed and Energy levels high is key to keeping everyone happy. When they do something right you can encourage them to repeat that action by praising them, and can equally discourage them by using the scolding glove. It’s advised to use the scolding glove sparingly but I quite enjoyed seeing my little VS running away when I scolded them!

The actions come at you thick and fast and you’ll soon be fixing things, cleaning things and working on your career and while these can be fun at first the daily chores can soon become repetitive and boring, esp. when you have a partner and child to look after too. Some of the chores are simple tasks, while other will rely on you to complete a certain set of tasks before you can move on.

While you can continue to grow you family, after and extended time playing you can be in control of 8 family members because the game play is limited to your house and yard the options are definitely limited. You can do the usual tasks of upgrading your house and buying new items for it the lack of locations and esp. the lack of social interactions and relationship building limits the enjoyment that you can have playing this game.

The game does look good. Your single story home is spacious and has all the mod-cons that any middle-class family would come to expect. The sound FX are limited and the music is your standard lounge muzak which does nothing to add to the game.

If you are a fan of the mundane then perhaps this game is for you, but if you are looking for a more enjoyable challenge then look elsewhere. Virtual Families is a Sims wannabe, where there is too much reality and not enough virtual.

The Good

• Lots to do
• Quick way to find out if you want a large family
• Easy controls

The Not So Good

• Repetitive gameplay
• Single location
• No social interaction

Reviewed By: CraigWillis

Price $3.99

Virtual Families Screenshots

The Sims™ 3 for iPhone/iPod touch will be available on June 02, 2009. It is undoubtedly the most anticipated game for the iPhone OS. With less than 15 days left for the game to launch the expectations are rising and we are confident that EA will yet again live up to all the excitement.

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD! From the best-selling PC franchise in history, The Sims™ 3 is coming soon to your iPhone™/iPod® touch! Customize your Sim with different personality traits and physical characteristics, as you choose whether to fulfill their destiny…or not. Interact with your Sim using touch and accelerometer controls while exploring stunning 3D open-world environments. Enjoy the ride with The Sims as they experience everything life has to offer, good and bad! THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Game Features

• Effortless touch and accelerometer control
• Take a break with fun mini-games like fishing, repairing, and cooking
• Upgrade and redecorate your home and furnishings
• Strive to achieve 75 different goals and wishes for your Sim!
• Over 10 hours of gameplay filled with hysterical antics and unexpected moments of surprise
• New beautiful 3D visual
• Explore an ever-changing neighborhood with new open world gameplay
• Create your own Sim, complete with different hair styles, clothes, personalities and more
• Enjoy smarter Sims with deeper personalities, wishes and goals
• Develop complex relationships with other Sims as you fall in love, make friends or rebel against the neighbourhood

Love The Sims™? Leave a comment below telling us what you think about this game!

Source: EA

The Sims 3 (iPhone/iPod touch) Official Trailer

The Sims™ 3 Screenshots