Thursday 23 June 2011

Snow Master Review

Snow Master is an entertaining game, which is suitable for any age. There are three modes; Acid Snow, Twin Flakes and Snow Mercy. Each mode has a different game play and control style, the sound effects are great and the graphics on the iPad and the iPhone are brilliant.

In the first mode, Acid Snow, you need to swipe the green snowflakes before they hit the ground. Bonuses are acquired if you get more than one snowflake in one swipe. As you progress the levels get much harder, and the snow falls quicker and heavier. You can't just draw a line forever as it does eventually run out, this is shown by the globe of your wand in the top right hand corner. If it runs out you just need to take your finger of the screen and then it will refill automatically. When destroying the acid flakes and letting the white snow hit the ground your accumulation will rise, this is shown on a ruler along the right side of the screen. There is also a blue meter which reflects your health, this will reduce and change colours if you slice a good flake or let the bad ones hit the ground.

The second mode is Twin Flakes. You will need to match the pairs of snowflakes. They will stay on the screen until you match them all and then you will be given a new set, they will be more pairs and there will be a range of sizes. Once you clear four sets you will get a different time limit to work with. Any left over time will be added on. The controls are simple, tap on a snowflake and the match and then they will both disappear.

The last mode is called Snow Mercy. All you have to do is save all of the flakes before they reach the fires at the bottom of the screen. Fireballs will rise up and you will need to swipe them to destroy them. To save any snowflake you must swipe through them. The globe from Acid Snow will be there as well - doing the exact same job.

Overall this is a really good game and is very addictive. It uses game center for the leaderboards and is worth the money. Do you have what it takes to be a Snow Master?


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snow-master/id389788352?mt=8


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Torture Bunny Trailer

Finger Shoes Trailer

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD Review

Spider-Man is a great game which reflects the comics brilliantly. The simple combat and movement controls are similar to other titles from Gameloft, they react quickly and execute a smooth action. The comic book style graphics are perfect for the game play and all the voice overs in the game are appropriate and suitable for each character. As well as a fantastic storyline and addictive game play you will be able to unlock different items and fight a number of well known villains.

When starting the game there will be a brief tutorial and as you reach certain areas more will be explained. There is over 20 fighting combos and a few special attacks. While playing the 12 levels, which are based in New York City, you will come across Spider-Man's toughest enemies including Sandman, Rhino, Electro, Venom, Dr Octopus, and Green Goblin. The bosses are not easy to defeat and as you progress they become much smarter in combat. Even reaching the villains is a challenge, as you need to pass places which may contain more enemies. Surprisingly there is not many buttons, and the special attacks appear when you can use them or need them. On your action packed adventure you will need to climb walls and jump over holes in the ground. Citizens will also need to be saved and switches will need to be pulled to save the city, all of these can be performed by a tap of a button - when it appears and when you get close enough.

There is not a free roam mode but while you walk around the city, attempting to fight your way through evil, you can attack cars and other items to collect orbs. The green orbs will restore your health and the red ones will add up, so that you can buy upgrades from the in game menu. Orbs are also collected when you defeat enemies or save a hostage.

Another fantastic feature is the extras. In the extras you can look at four things. There is a "Boss Rush" where you can replay boos fights and it records your time and rank, you can play at any difficulty. There is a segment called "Artwork"which is what you unlock through out the game, you will find beautiful HD photos of Spider-Man and villains, and there is up to 150 to collect. The last two are called "Photos" and "Level Ranking", in the photos you will be able to view action shots of the boss fights. You take the pictures by pressing a button which appears when you are in combat. Level Ranking shows you your stats for all the levels you ave completed.

If you complete all the levels you will unlock the Black Suit which will give you different powers, then you can revisit different levels and see what it does to your combat style.

A brilliant game for any action fan, and Spider-Man supporters will not be disappointed at all. Worth every penny!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spider-man-total-mayhem-hd/id399650655?mt=8


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Monday 20 June 2011

Air Supply - 1bit Run Review

Air Supply from Quantum Sheep is brilliant endless runner which will keep you busy for ages. The simple controls, graphics and sounds stay true to the retro style game play. There is a total of 18 achievements to earn and you can unlock different characters, colours, music, backgrounds and even enemies.

Before you unlock anything you play on an alien moon as Spaceman Sam. To stay alive you must avoid and shoot the enemies. You will come across aliens, UFOs, meteorites, robots, space monkeys and zombie pirate cyborgs. Unlike many other endless runners you have another threat which may end the game for you. As well as enemies and timing your jump wrong you are only given a limited amount of air. The air runs out automatically, but if you get hit you will loose it much quicker. Luckily there are power ups which might protect you, slow you down or give you some extra air, your tank of air is displayed at the top corner of your screen.

The controls are very easy to use as there is only two buttons. The one on the left allows you to jump and the one on the right lets you shoot. Tapping the jump button twice will make you double jump. You can swap the buttons around as well.

Overall this is a great game and it is very addictive. I can't wait for more updates and hopefully there will be an iPad version. It is Game Center enabled and was recentley updated with colour coordinated leaderboards!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-supply-1bit-run/id423073029?mt=8


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Push-Cars Trailer

Don't Fall Off Trailer

Friday 17 June 2011

Race After 1977 Review

Race After 1977 is a racing game which puts you in to a scene of devastation from the nuclear apocalypse. You are racing to win the GPS co-ordinates of the last hospitable place on Earth. It is a very fun game with great graphics and sounds although I think that it could get better in future updates. The most recent update, which was released on the 13th of June, brought native iPad and iPad 2 support. Along with minor and major tweaks to the physics and controls, the overall game play and realism has become much better.
There are three control options; a steering wheel, touch and tilt controls, you may also need to change the sensitivity to your own liking. The car accelerates automatically so you only have to steer and brake, if you want to reverse you need to hold down on the brake pedal.

While driving there are a few buttons and extra information displayed on the screen. There is a rear view, menu, lap counter, speedometer, position, direction, race time, best lap, camera, respawn and a radar. These help with your driving, whether it's to see if anyone is coming to knock you off the track or you are going fast enough to jump over the bridge.

There is a total of ten tracks in five different environments, all of them have shortcuts to help you gain an advantage in the race. Some gaps or jumps will give you the need to build up speed so you can make it over or on top of an obstacle. You can also unlock nine cars which all have their own strengths and weaknesses on every track. The replay value mainly comes with the achievements, there is fifty to collect and after each race you are shown them, the ones you need will appear as well. You are given cash rewards depending on where you come in the race, but there is no where to spend it, you can't even buy upgrades for your vehicles.
Overall this is a good racing game and fun for a quick race or spending a while in the story mode. Worth checking out.

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Toca Hair Salon Review

Toca Boca have released another brilliant game for the iPhone and iPad. It is very simple and it is filled with great graphics and sounds. The colours are very clear and it looks very well made.

The game is easy to get in to. At the start you must choose one out of the four characters, your selection will act as your client. Then you can give them a brand new hairstyle. You are able to cut, brush, dry, shave, grow and colour the hair. You can also take snapshots. All of the equipment is in a bar at the bottom of the screen. On the iPad all of the hair colours are on one bar instead on two because there is more room. To select anything you just simply tap on it, then you are able to use it on the hair.

Another cool feature is that when you tilt your device, the scene out of the window moves. And during the whole experience your character makes silly faces and noises which should make you smile.

I would like to see more characters added in an update and maybe an option that allows you to wash, straighten and even curl the hair.

Overall Toca Boca have brought another fantastic game for children to the app store. Worth every penny as it will keep any child entertained and busy. Can't wait for future app releases and updates from Toca Boca!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-hair-salon/id426382105?mt=8


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Monday 13 June 2011

Tanglewood Review

Tanglewood is a fantastic puzzle game. It can be very difficult at times but it is extremely addictive. The graphics and sounds are great and this is a must have for anyone who likes a challenge.

The game play is very simple. You need to fit all of the given blocks into the gap, and you can not place them passed the dotted line. To get a block, you drag one from the bar which is at the top, if you want to put one back you can just flick it off the screen.

At the moment there are three different difficulties which total up to seventy levels. As you progress, the puzzles get much harder. Obstacles start to appear, and the blocks start become irregular shapes. Luckily you can use hints, but you only receive them once you have correctly completed a puzzle.

In the setting you can adjust nearly everything which is physics based. You can change the gravity, friction, spin speed and even the linear speed. There is a default option as well.

Every level records your best score, so it is great for long journeys. Definitely worth checking out!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tanglewood/id439123955?mt=8


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Sunday 12 June 2011

Sneak Out! Review

Sneak Out is a brilliant game which requires patience and strategy. There is two modes and the graphics are great. The aim of the game is to leave work so you can go to happy hour, the only problem is that your mangers are wandering round. As you progress, levels become faster and there will be more bosses to escape from and you might even have to escape with a friend!

The controls are very simple. To move you draw a line, then the character will follow it, if you draw a line that is heading towards your boss you can easily draw a new one. In every level there is three stars to collect before you leave, but you don't have to obtain them all.

To help you on your escape you have a smelly hot dog and a speed up 2x. The hot dog will freeze the bosses and the speed up 2x will speed up your movement. In the levels there is also telephones, printers and fax machines; if you press on them it will cause a distraction for your boss, using the machines will lower your score though.

The two modes are both challenging. Classic is just you trying to escape and is slower than insane mode. The insane mode makes you control two characters and seems to be a lot harder. The bosses in the modes are always unpredictable, so you can never plan your whole route.

If you get caught by the faint yellow line, which represents the bosses view, you will be sent back to your desk and be forced to try and escape again.

Overall this is a great game, which will keep you busy for hours. It looks even better on the HD, iPad version. Worth every penny!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id413025465?mt=8
HD Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sneak-out-hd-an-office-escaping/id436097129?mt=8



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Saturday 11 June 2011

Surfin' Dude Review

Surfin' Dude from Violet Studio is a great tilt based game for the iPhone. It has very nice sounds and graphics which consist of colours that stand out against the wave. There is also going to be a Story Mode added in a future update.

The game is easy to learn and uses simple controls. You tilt your device to move and press the screen to jump. If you want to get further away from the wave you need to keep your character travelling straight for a while and then he will surf faster and collecting a star will make you invincible.

When you press play you will be able to set your controls. There is regular, top down or custom. To set your controls in custom you hold your device normally then press set. Once you have pressed set you tilt your device so you put the surfer in the center of the screen. Then you press play. With the other controls you just tilt your device until the surfer is in the center, you don't need to press set. You can also invert the controls.

When you are in the game and are riding the wave you need to collect as many flowers as you can. The only problem is that there are hungry sharks in the water. There are other distractions such as monkeys, turtles, seagulls and fish. As the game gets harder the sharks come at a faster pace and seagulls fly past in larger groups. You can also be in danger if you surf in risky areas and if you hit a shark you will slow down and the wave will soon catch up with you, if you are to close to the wave and you slow down it will be game over and you will be wiped out.

Surfin' Dude is a fun game and it is suitable for anyone. Definitely worth checking out!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/surfin-dude/id438903777?mt=8


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Best 5 Free Games - 11 June 2011


















Rooftop Escape - http://bit.ly/mkzTDt
Parachute Ninja - http://bit.ly/9jjrro
Oldschool Blocks - http://bit.ly/fxl44x
Rip Off - http://bit.ly/jpepc2
Snow Master - http://bit.ly/iMqDRC

Thursday 9 June 2011

Sudoku Puzzle Packs Review

Sudoku Puzzle Packs from Thumb Wizards is a brilliant free, universal app which looks great on both the iPad and iPhone. The sounds and graphics are perfect for the game play and with a range of visual themes it will definitely keep you interested.

Sudoku Puzzle Packs is a beautifully designed puzzle game. There is only six puzzles but they are tasters of the in app purchases. The I.A.Ps are .99$/59p each and they are all different difficulties. The packs have 50 up to 100 puzzles in each one!

In the app there is some fantastic features. There is an assist which turns all the available tiles blue, incorrect ones red and correct ones green, if you click on a blue tile or red one it will automatically put in the right answer. There is also a next puzzle button, restart, an assist counter and a how many tiles left counter. Even when you pause the game all the tiles go blank so you can't work it out while the timer has been stopped.

One of the best things about this Sudoku game is probably the input methods. You simply tap on a tile and choose a number, you can even pencil smaller numbers in and if you have ever played Sudoku you will know how helpful they can be when you're working the numbers out.

Overall this is a great app and it's free! It is perfect for beginners and the advanced players, and if you like it you can buy the packs. Worth the download.


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sudoku-puzzle-packs/id412040754?mt=8


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Tuesday 7 June 2011

Toca Hair Salon Trailer

Toca Tea Party Review

Toca Tea Party creates a brilliant interactive tea party for three. It has great graphics and perfect sounds for the app.

It is very easy to use, and tapping on the screen is the main control. To start the tea party you drag one of the three table clothes onto the table, each one comes in a range of colours. Then you select plates and drinks, you can mix and match them, so every guest has a different drink or plate. After that you drag the food onto the plates. I would like to see some different cakes and maybe healthier options added in a future update, but for children it is great. Once you have done all these steps you can start your very own tea party.

Everything is interactive. You can change the music on the radio and ignite candles with a simple tap. To eat the delicious looking food for yourself or the guests you tap on the it, each tap will take a bite. When the food has gone there will be crumbs left, and you can drag and drop another cake or cookie onto your plate. There is three of each food you selected on a plate at the end of the screen.

With the drinks you press on a cup and the amount of tea, coffee or pink lemonade will slowly go down. To add some more into your cup you pour it out of the jugs, you can leave these anywhere on the table after you have finished pouring. You can spill your drink aswell, but you then have to get a tissue and wipe up the mess.

Once the tea party is over you have to clean the dishes, you can tilt the iPad or drag and drop the plates into the water. After you have completed this final task you can start all over again.

Another good feature is that speach bubbles appear from the plates, in the bubble there is a picture of a food or drink your guest would like to be served.

Whether you are having a tea party with your kids and cuddly bears or dolls this is a fantastic app and should be on every family iPad. 


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-tea-party/id424174500?mt=8


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PowerSlide Penguin Trailer

Dream Track Nation Trailer

Monday 6 June 2011

iOS 5 Features

Discovr Music Review

Discovr Music, which comes from Jammbox, is a great way to find new artists and music you might like. It is universal and looks great on both the iPad and iPhone, although it is easier to use on the iPad as it has a bigger screen.

All you need to do is type in a name of a band or artist, then it will suggest about six more artists depending on their musical qualities and style. It creates a map, so the searched artist is in the middle and the suggestions are coming from it. Discovr normally recognizes every artist or band you search for, so it works very well.

The music map is very easy to use and each little circle has a picture of the artist in it. If you tap any circle once it will bring up suggestions for them, but if you double tap an artist it will bring up a biography, song snippets, blog posts, links, reviews and even videos from YouTube. You can easily buy the songs or share your discovery on twitter, facebook and email.

The main controls are simple; pinch to zoom in or out, shake to clear the screen, tap the bottom of the screen to open favourites, single tap to find similar artists and double tap to see the details. On the map you can look around by moving your finger and you are also able to move the circles around, but they do eventually go back into their original position.

Another feature is that you can add artists or bands you have found to your favourites, which appears at the bottom of the screen. It acts as a shortcut to get to their videos and other information. Your favourites are always there but tapping on it will expand them and allow you to interact and easily view them.

You can easily send feedback to the developers from within the app, and you can also send emails with a snapshot of your map of discovered artists.

Great for anyone especially music lovers and definitely worth the money!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/discovr-music-discover-new/id412768094?mt=8

Note: The developer has been very generous and given me 2 codes to give away, look out for my tweet later! -  http://twitter.com/#!/i_reviews


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March of Heroes Trailer

Saturday 4 June 2011

Kalimat Review

Kalimat is the latest word game to come to the app store. It is very much like scrabble, but there are two modes. The graphics are great and are probably the best out of any other word game and the sounds are perfect for the game play.

The two modes are remix and normal. Normal is very simple, you create one word  from the seven letters you are given at the start of the game. You must spell your word from left to right or top to bottom, you must go through a word which is already on the board. You can swap your letters but you will automatically lose your turn, and you can pass which means you will skip your turn, passing three times in a row will result in losing the game. Shaking the device will shuffle your letter tiles, sometimes this will help you spot a word you could make.

The scoring is just like scrabble; each letter is worth a certain amount of points, they get added up to make a word score. If you place your word in certain places on the board you can land on triple word, triple letter, double word and double letter scores. Using all seven letters in one word will give you a 50 point bonus.

Remix is similar apart from the hidden bonus which is randomly placed in every game, it is called Ali Baba and it is worth 50 points. The other differences are that you can swap letters once without losing your turn and there is a turn timer, placing a word within the first minute of your go means your word score will be tripled and in the first second it means it will be doubled.

Kalimat is mainly based on online multiplayer, but there is a pass and play mode as well. If you want to play with your friends you can invite them to a game but you can also play against a random opponent. While in the game you can chat and you can have up to 20 games going at the same time. There is plenty of notifications and sounds to alert you that your opponent has made the move. If you are unsure of a word that has been placed you can press on the list and then click on the word, a definition will then appear.

At the moment the developers of Kalimat are holding a competition, there is an iPad 2 and loads of iTunes gift cards up for grabs! To learn more about it and how to be entered click here.

Overall this is a great tile based word game, it has a beautiful layout and looks amazing. Worth every penny!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kalimat/id416740424?mt=8


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Best 5 Free Games - 4 June 2011



















Speedball 2 Evolution - http://bit.ly/gOOZqD
Pig Shot - http://bit.ly/9BSj6j
Back to the Future Ep 1 HD - http://bit.ly/eTsN4o
Office Rush HD - http://bit.ly/hOJPES
Slug Bugs - http://bit.ly/iZkeeR

Thursday 2 June 2011

dream:scape Review

In dream:scape you will play as Wilson who is a coma patient, while playing through you will reveal more of your past at your own pace. Wandering round nearly 30 acres of land and exploring it will add more entries to your once empty diary. It is more like a 3D novel which is told through certain game elements and dramatic sounds.

Amazingly it only took three months to make but due to compatibility problems on older devices it was prolonged an extra two months. Another surprising fact is that it was entirely made by one person (George Lippert) he only got help from Jane Kalmes who co-wrote the story, Isaias Garcia who composed and performed the score and Carol Mertz who voiced the lines for Amelia on her iPhone!

The graphics of the haunting and spooky world are brilliant. What else would you expect from an Unreal Engine powered game?

The controls are very basic and simple to use. There is two joysticks one to move and the other to look around, if you want to look around or head in a different direction quicker you can always slide your finger on the screen instead.

Once you complete the story you will unlock a free roam mode, and because you may be a while completing it there is a handy walkthrough with hints and tips on the website.

The introductory price will be 1.99 which will be half of the normal price. It is universal, and looks great on the iPad and iPhone. So put June 9th on your calendar and get ready to download this great game!




 

Toca Doctor HD Review

Toca Boca are known for making great games that will keep children entertained, Toca Doctor is no exception. With 18 puzzles and an easy to use, pick up and play style it will definitely keep young kids busy.

Next to the patient there is a small floating doctor. When you press on the doctor he will examine the patient and find a number of problems which are the puzzles. In the puzzle there is no pressure and you can't lose, and you can leave it if you don't like it. In some puzzles you can use tilt or touch controls and sometimes even both.

An additional puzzle, which appears once all 18 are completed, is placing equipment in the medical kit which is next to the patient. Every time you start a new game the puzzles must be completed again for the kit to appear.

One thing I would like to see is more puzzles, as they can be found in different places but don't really change. It probably won't bother younger children but it would be nice to see some more.

Overall this is a brilliant game, and the graphics and sounds are great. Plus there is no in app purchases, so you don't need to worry about getting unwanted apps and losing money through advertisements. Worth getting for any child!


Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-doctor-hd/id430807533?mt=8

 
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