Posts Tagged ‘Game Center’
Gaming in the Cloud
The Game Center has been dead almost since it was introduced in Sept. 2010, but some iOS 5 updates could breathe more life into the stale medium. The idea was supposed to be a cross between playing games on Facebook and the social capabilities of Xbox Live. The execution fell fairly flat, as friends had [...]
Hands-On with ‘Bumpy Road’ 2.0 Update, Coming Later this Month
Back in May, Simogo Games released Bumpy Road [$2.99], a title that was a mixture of endless runner and time trial gameplay with a whimsical art style and incredibly unique controls. I gushed about how much I enjoyed Bumpy Road in our review, and last month the game was improved further when Simogo released the [...]
‘The King of Fighters-i’ Review – A New King of iOS Fighters is Crowned
Last year, Capcom raised the bar for traditional fighting games on the touch screen with Street Fighter IV [$4.99], and a couple of weeks ago they upped their game again by releasing Street Fighter IV Volt [$6.99] with online multiplayer. To a lesser degree, we’ve also seen Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 [99¢/HD] on the App [...]
Dual-Stick Shooter ‘Occurro!’ Returns to the App Store, Now Permanently Free
Way back in early to mid 2009, we were at the height of top-down dual-stick Geometry Wars-style space shooter releases. It seemed like every week or two there was another new one to check out, and although they each had their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, the vast majority offered up pretty compelling arcade [...]
‘VineKing’ Review – Multitask Your Way to a Greener World
How much of a multitasker are you? If you're anything like me, you've probably got a dozen tabs open in your browser, three other programs on your desktop and a game or two waiting on your phone. But that might just make you a singletasker with a short attention span. If you want to prove [...]
‘Ant Raid’ for iPad Review – When Insects Attack
Ant Raid [$2.99] isn't a knockoff of Nintendo's Pikmin. I want to get that out of the way up front. It has a few things in common with Pikmin, sure, and it does a pretty good job of scratching that itch while Nintendo takes its sweet time bringing out the next sequel, but the game [...]
Three for Free During the Donut Games Crazy Summer Sale
Just as they did about a year ago, Donut Games is throwing a “Crazy Summer” sale and offering up 3 of their titles for free for a limited time. What is especially cool about this deal is that all 3 of these games are among the back catalog of Donut games that have recently been [...]
‘Spirit’ and ‘Spirit HD’ Get High Resolution Makeovers, Both on Sale for 99¢
When I think about excellent but underrated games on the App Store, Marco Mazzoli’s Spirit [99¢/HD] immediately comes to mind as a prominent example. Launching back in February of last year, Spirit is a neo-retro arcade game that uses a control mechanic that’s perfectly suited to the touch screen. You control your tiny “Spirit” with [...]
Street Fighter IV Volt Review
Street Fighter IV Volt Review By Carter Dotson on July 1st, 2011 Our Rating: :: STATIC SHOCKiPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Street Fighter IV Volt is a new version of Capcom’s latest entry in the legendary Street Fighter IV franchise, featuring 3 new characters and online play. Developer: [...]
‘Danmaku Unlimited’ Review – A Beautiful Bullet Hell Shmup
I'm late to the party on this one, but if you have any room in your heart for bullet hell shooters you should take a look at Danmaku Unlimited [$1.99 / Lite] You might know that already, but there's a good chance you don't. Maybe you've been living under a rock. Maybe you don't venture [...]
‘Push-Cars’ Review – Hit the Road, Sparky
Push-Cars [$0.99 / HD] is a puzzle game with a conscience. Like a pint-sized version of Pixar's Cars, you've got a bunch of anthropomorphic cars to handle. There's the eco-friendly ones like Sparky, the slow but green electric, and there's the gas guzzlers like Sixteen. Your job is to smash those gas guzzlers to bits [...]
‘Joining Hands’ Review – Don’t Forget to Hold Hands
Looking for a unique puzzle game to fill your hours? Take a look at Joining Hands [$2.99] by 10tons, creators of Grim Joggers [$1.99] and Azkend [$2.99]. It tells of the Whispering Wood, a place filled with boogeymen to frighten the little Peablins, Gloobins and Brufflins that inhabit it. To make it through safely, they [...]
‘Casey’s Contraptions’ Updated with Global Level Sharing, User Profiles
Casey's Contraptions [$2.99] was already a great game before this week's update. In our review, we applauded it for its charming approach to creative physics puzzling. But there was one outstanding concern: for a game with a full-featured level editor, it really sucked not to be able to share new levels with the world. Turns [...]
‘Tiny Tower’ Review – Tiny People in a Freemium World
Most of us here have been anticipating NimbleBit's Tiny Tower [Free] since the developers first announced it. Their last take on the freemium model was the extremely successful Pocket Frogs [Free], a game that I still pull out a few times a week. So the big day has come – does Tiny Tower live up [...]
‘Wisp: Eira’s Tale’ Review – A Chilled Out Fairy-Themed Puzzle Adventure
When I originally played the outstanding game Osmos [$2.99/HD], the unhurried gameplay and soothing music lulled me into a calmer state. People have made similar comments about the relaxing effects of Zenbound 2 [$2.99] and Spirits [$2.99/HD]. It's been a while since another game had this effect on me, but Wisp: Eira's Tale [$2.99/Lite] by Triolith Entertainment seems [...]
‘Ducati Challenge’ Review – A Wheelie Good Moto-Racing Game
There are plenty of popular car racing games in the AppStore; Real Racing 2 [$6.99/HD], Death Rally [99¢] and Reckless Racing [99¢/Lite/HD] spring to mind, to name a few. However, moto-racing is less frequently represented, so it's nice to find a new game about Italian motorcycles which looks pretty sweet. Ducati Challenge [$3.99/HD] from Ducati [...]
‘daWindci’ Review – A Zen-Like Puzzler in the Sky
If there's one genre I enjoy the most on my iPad or iPhone, it's puzzle games. Developer Reality Twist brings us an interesting puzzle game called DaWindci [99¢/HD] that has a fresh feel and great atmosphere, and although it was released a couple of months ago I've been enjoying it a lot as of late. In [...]
‘Toast the Chicken’ Review – Setting Chickens On Fire Was Never So Much Fun
The general rule of thumb for cooking chicken is that you want to cook it slowly so it retains its juices and doesn’t dry out too quickly. It's a delicate balance to ensure you don't walk away with food poisoning, but if you get it just right, you'll have a tasty treat. The same goes [...]
Freebie Friday: ‘Army of Darkness Defense’ – Gimme Some (Free) Sugar, Baby!
Last month, Backflip Studios unleashed Army of Darkness Defense [Free/HD] into the App Store. Based on the campy B-movie Army of Darkness, a particularly popular entry in the cult classic Evil Dead franchise, the video game incarnation is a castle defense game with some very light RPG elements. The castle defense premise plays perfectly into [...]
‘Monster Soup’ Review – Matching Monsters to Stave Off the Ice Age
Life was easy for the microbial denizens of the Soup System, all floating around and eating soup. Then Plubert from Pluto came by and spoiled the fun by trying to freeze everyone. Plubert's a bit of a bully—maybe he has problems at home? Now you'll need to rescue all the little monsters in Monster Soup [...]
Firemint’s ‘Real Racing’ Series Getting Real Cheap for the Weekend
If you happen to be one of those people that has yet to check out the phenomenal Real Racing series on iOS, Firemint is going to temporarily make it a lot cheaper for you to do so. From now through the weekend, every Real Racing title is now on sale in some capacity. Here’s a [...]
NimbleBit Announces Release Date for ‘Tiny Tower’
Need something to look forward to next week? Then I've got good news for you: NimbleBit's Tiny Tower will be released next Wednesday, June 22nd. We've been anticipating this game since the Pocket Frogs [Free] developer first announced it, and I'm super excited that the wait is almost over. I had a chance to get [...]
‘iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition’ Now Available for Free
Last month, FuzzyCube Software released iQuarterback 2 [Free] for the iPad and we thought it was pretty fun in our review. Gameplay involved tossing footballs into targets that were either stationary or moved laterally across the field. Just touching where you wanted a pass to go would send the football flying there, and the real [...]
Let’s Jump Review
Let’s Jump Review By Carter Dotson on June 15th, 2011 Our Rating: :: GET UP!Universal App – Designed for iPhone and iPad Let’s Jump is an endless ascension platformer with both single and multiplayer modes. Developer: Chillingo Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0.1 Device Reviewed On: iPod touch 4, iPad 1 Graphics / Sound Rating: [...]
‘Rocket Bunnies’ Review – Bunnies in Spaaaaaaace!
Defiant and Chillingo's Rocket Bunnies [$0.99 / HD] tells us of a future where bunnies have spread throughout the universe, and one rabbit, armed with only a rocket, must fight the forces of oppression to bring food to the hungry masses on each planet and asteroid. Or something like that, anyhow. Story isn't really a [...]
The Portable Podcast, Episode 89
Round and round and round and roundtable! On This Episode: Carter and several iOS developers get together to discuss iOS5 and what the new features mean for the future of development on iOS. Who We Are: Host: Carter Dotson Guest: Colin Walsh, Celsius Game Studios Guest: Gavin Bowman, Retro Dreamer Guest: Peter Babiy, Strapped to [...]
‘Match Panic’ Review – Adorably Chaotic Matching Action
Sometimes the simplest things are the ones that bring the most joy. There aren't many games that are simpler than Match Panic [$0.99], but that's a big part of its charm. Here's how the game plays: adorable pixel sprites make a line down the screen. Identical sprites are shown on both sides of the screen, [...]
‘What’s My Word?’ Review – A Classic Board Game Comes to iOS
What's My Word? [$0.99] is a board game port that language lovers simply must check out. If you've played the original with pen and paper, you know what to expect. If not, you're in for a treat. The goal is to discover a hidden six- or seven-letter word. To find it, you need to come [...]