Even in this electronic age board games have never gone out of fashion, the only difference being that where as many of these games were once played on literal boards they are now often being played on virtual boards on iPhones, iPads and other such devices.
And that is certainly the case of the award winning Whoowasit? HD which is now available on the iPad for $4.99 from the App Store.
Whoowasit? HD is like a cross between the classic board games of Clue and Guess Who and is a team based where instead of players competing against each the players are encouraged to work together to solve the puzzles and find the thief who has stolen the ring.
Set in medieval times the game is set in the rooms of a castle and by rolling the dice players take it in turns to move their character from room to room looking for clues to who could have stolen the ring.
The board is beautifully drawn with lots of detail and small animations. Each room contains a different animal and they will have clues to help you finger the thief. However, they won’t give up they’re information for nothing and need to be encouraged to spill the beans by giving them food which can also be found in the rooms.
As it’s a team game everyone gets to see the clues that are presented and can use them themselves. You may think that as everyone is working together that catching the thief would be easy. However, you are up against the clock and failure to find the thief in the allotted time will result in the game being over.
You will also have to avoid the ghost that moves from room to room as being in the same room will see you banished back to the nursery to start your hunt again.
The thief, clues and food that the animals require are changed each time that you play the game too ensuring that no too games are ever the same which makes repeat plays of the game more attractive.
The game also provides additional features for those players that own the board game version of Whoowasit? HD as it includes an interactive chest that becomes part of the board game.
Whoowasit? HD provides is an enjoyable experience and provides a more relaxed gaming experience compared to some of the other titles that are available on the iPad. While some people may be put off by the $4.99 price tag they should remember that this is a game that the whole family can play together and is considerably cheaper than purchasing a board game in a store.
[rating: 4.5/5]What we like
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Gameloft have been churning out mobile games for a while now and for the most part they’ve been pushing the mobile gaming envelope especially when it comes to the graphics and N.O.V.A. 3 is no different. Does the gameplay match the beautiful and rich environments though?
N.O.V.A. 3 as the name suggests is the third in the the first person shooter series which follows the explosive exploits of Kal Wardin as he fights for no lesser prize than humankind itself. If you haven’t played either of the previous N.O.V.A. that’s not a problem, (although you may go back to them after playing this), as the game stands on its own and the short intro will soon get you up to speed.
As previously mentioned the whole look of N.O.V.A. 3 is completely immersive as the rich, massive, interactive environments are a pleasure to behold. Starting in and around the derelict buildings of San Francisco, through alien spacecraft and an explosive fire and ice wasteland the worlds look incredible.
As we’ve all come to learn though, games require more than just graphics to be a success and N.O.V.A. 3 is more than just eye-candy, in fact it’s one of the closest experiences to having a console in your pocket that I’ve ever played on a mobile device.
The audio helps this with the overall experience too, from powerful gun-shots and explosions to great voice acting and background music the aural experiences is excellent, especially if you listen with headphones.
The action comes fast and furious, right from the start and you will need fast fingers to keep yourself alive. These fast fingers have to be balanced with the amount of ammunition you have as supplies are limited especially if you don’t want to if you don’t want to increase the cost of the game by stumping up more of your hard earned money to upgrade your weapons and abilities.
The downside of the scarce ammunition though is exacerbated by some less than perfect controls. There’s nothing substantially different in N.O.V.A. 3 from other first person shooters but they feel unpolished and the limited customization ensures that we will have to spend quite a while with them before you feel at ease.
Spending time with N.O.V.A. 3 though is something you will want to do though as the rewards are worth it. A compelling, if short, campaign mode is great to play but the addition of not only a local wi-fi multiplayer but also an online version, via Gameloft LIVE, is going to have you hooked for months.
Six different multiplayer game modes as well as weekly tournaments keeps things interesting and as long as you put in the time to learn your skills so that you aren’t re-spawning every 30 seconds the online modes ultimately make N.O.V.A. 3 {$6.99} a very rewarding experience.
All this comes at a price, not the $7 that it’ll cost you in the App Store, that’s a bargain, but the 1.5 GB of storage space that it will take up on your iOS device. You may need to manage some space before installing this monster!
There are games that push the limit of mobile gaming and make other companies step up, N.O.V.A. 3 is one of those games and you don’t want to miss the bandwagon.
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iBomber Defense Pacific is a follow up to the highly acclaimed iBomber Defense and provides hours of tower defense style game-play.
The action, as the title suggests, takes place on the Pacific Rim and the levels reflect that region in all their glory, from golden deserts and deep jungles to the city streets the graphics are clear, detailed and strong over 20+ different levels.
If you’ve played a tower defense game before then you are going to be very comfortable in iBDP but for those of you that haven’t there is in game tutorial that takes you through all the basics and it’s not difficult to pick up, although as with all good games there is more to simply knowing enough to cruise through all the levels.
You can do that if you like and even then there you will enjoy the journey but just like achieving 3 stars on all the levels of angry birds the real fun comes in attempting to get the best ranking in each level which in turn rewards you with the cash and honors to do even better in the following rounds.
The controls are simple, drag and drop to place your machine gun, cannon, rockets, flamers and other weapons and tapping on them provides you with the ability to repair, upgrade and sell them. If things aren’t going your way on any level you also get the ability to rewind a wave and try again, however this ability it limited so it has to be used wisely.
I highly recommend playing the game with your headphones on too as the sound of the thundering gunfire over the back-drop of the ambient location noises creates a great atmosphere.
As with all Chillingo titles the game comes integrated with Crystal, their social gaming network which provides multiple achievements and leaderboards for all the levels.
Chillingo continue to churn out quality titles and in iBomber Defense Pacific they continue to do so with a solid, if not ground breaking title. iBDP is a universal game and is available in the App Store now for $2.99.
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[rating: 4/5]
A fun iPad app that will have you bouncing through the countryside as you attempt to make your escape from the farmer’s festive but fiendish plans.
In iHop – Getaway Chicken HD ($1.99) your job is to fly the chicken coop before becoming someone’s idea of dinner. By using the accelerometer, you move the iPad to bounce your chicken off the hay bales and scoop up coins and food along the way. Of course you also need to avoid the bats and birds in your path. And the meat products. You’re a vegetarian, you know.
Using the accelerometer to control your bounces is a really natural way to play this game. It doesn’t take much practice to direct your chicken along a path you choose. But choosing the path is what makes this game difficult. You have to be quick about choosing a landing spot, picking up fruits and vegetables as you bounce along. You can tap the screen on the left to shoot eggs to knock out the bats and birds or you can tap the screen on the right to bounce higher to avoid or connect with objects crossing your path.
This game is part of the GameCenter network, but it’s also part of the WEMO network. On GameCenter you’ll be able to compare yourself to friends and track achievements and rankings. But with WEMO, you’ll be able to see ghosts within the game as you pass your friends’ highest accomplishment.
iHop – Getaway Chicken HD also has in-app purchases available that can make the game easier to play. Skis to allow you land on smaller surfaces and a tri-hop skill are the most popular. But of course, you can also do quite well in the game without these additional items.
The graphics and music give the game a zany feel. The music is carnival-like and spunky, even bouncy. (See what I did there?) It has a fun feel, but could use a bit more variety in the look/feel/play of the game. A different background may not be enough to keep some people’s attention.
Overall, iHop – Getaway Chicken HD is an easy to pick-up game that will have you thinking you’ve got it mastered as it defeats you soundly. The accelerometer control means this probably isn’t a game you can play as you are sitting through a meeting, but it does make for a natural interface. There’s plenty here to keep you coming back to test your skills.
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Lead Wars is a turn based pencil and paper war game where skills in strategy become equally important. This game is no joke, it takes some serious strategic prowess and even more skills to rid the map of your enemy before they take all of your weapons out. With a simple control system and addictive competitive feel, this game will draw you in quickly. The game’s concept is simple; eliminate all of enemy’s pieces before they eliminate yours.
The control system In Lead Wars (available on the App Store) can seem pretty confusing but once you walk through the tutorials you’ll see that it takes a little time and you’ll be maneuvering just fine. You use a pencil to mark on the map where you want to go. The thing is, you have to tap and move in the opposite direction and then drag the pencil in the direction you want to go. It sounds more complicated than it really is but it will take a little time to master this so don’t get frustrated right away. The shooting mechanism works in a same fashion. I took some considerable time playing this game because I wanted to get a good feel of how long it took to master the controls. Trust me, at first it seems like you can’t get it just right but over time it gets easier and easier until you’re moving around like a pro. However, once you master this, you have to worry about strategy. Strategy can make or break your game. The first few games I tried the bum rush method and got beat quick. Each player has their own style but I must say you must keep your head about you because someone who knows how to shoot will make you pay for ill-advised moves.
This game is loaded with features that make increase its value everywhere you look. You have the ability to listen to your music as you play the game which I absolutely love. There are several game modes like: You vs. CPU, You vs. Friend (local), You vs. Friend (online) and You vs. Random Person (online). This keeps the opponent different and makes the games more interesting. You can also watch your opponent move about the map in online games to get an idea of their strategy. This is something I recommend doing because it helps add to your ability.
You have three types of pieces at your disposal: Tanks, Artillery Units and Planes. The all serve a purpose but I must say that the planes are my favorite. They all move and shoot which is great but the planes fly and have the ability to fly over trees, walls and barricades. The tanks and artillery units are limited to driving around these obstacles. Something important to keep in mind with the planes is that when they stop they must be over open land. They take off and land like real planes and therefore cannot land if they are over a tree or barricade or they will crash. Planes are one of your biggest assets so be sure to take good care of them and try not to be too reckless with them.
There are six standard maps that come with this game right away. Six seems to be plenty as each map is unique and have their own personality and obstacles. Perhaps my favorite feature is that they have a map creator that allows you to create custom maps to use in the game. I had a blast playing with this feature and really had fun being creative with the layouts. There are also four types of paper and three different pencils since this is a pencil and paper based game I thought that that was pretty cool as well. You have the capability of having up to 25 local games going at the same time with an auto-save feature that allows you to move from game to game without losing your progress.
The presentation of this game is unique in that it is a pencil and paper based game. With that being said, I love it. The sounds are one of my favorite parts. I don’t want to give away that part but I will say that the unique noise when you shoot had me cracking up when I first picked up the game. The visuals are great as they do a great job of making the map as realistic as possible both as a war zone and as a map drawn by pencil. The shooting animations are great and a perfect fit for this game. The entire theme of the game is portrayed by the appearance and sounds of this game and I personally thought they did a great job. The use of Game Center for achievements and online play is awesome as well. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes strategy turn based games. You’ll definitely love this game.
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