Reviews

Cool stuff ! i record all my expense on the spot ! a handy tool !

Posted February 22, 2012

When I first looked at this Order Up!! To Go, I was excited to finally try an app used to order food online and have it delivered! However, I was sadly mistaken. Instead of having a “productivity” app, I had a game where I became the restaurant owner, instead of gluttonous consumer, as I had so... Read More

When I first looked at this Order Up!! To Go, I was excited to finally try an app used to order food online and have it delivered! However, I was sadly mistaken. Instead of having a “productivity” app, I had a game where I became the restaurant owner, instead of gluttonous consumer, as I had so wished to be.

The premise of the game is the player starts as the chef of a fast food restaurant who learns how to cook burgers to perfection, pour the correct amount of soda and crisp the fries until they have a nice crunch to them.

The player begins with one order at a time and continues to add items to the order. The goal is to be able to cook the burger, cut the condiments, fry the potatoes, and pour the drink in the quickest amount of time and thereby keep the customer happy of course! For each order, the customer pays money based on how “perfect” each item is and how fast it was served.

After the orders at the fast food joint have been mastered, the user is brought to a map that shows an island with restaurants on it. As the chef, the user ends up purchasing a restaurant on the island that is theirs to command. The more money that is brought in by every successive restaurant, the more capital the chef has  to purchase more restaurants.

One thing to note is every restaurant purchased must be individually downloaded. The user is brought to a screen that says “Yarp” and it will show the restaurants that can be purchased as the chef escalates through the game to measure the amount of accomplishments.

As your skill level increases, the amount of responsibility increases as well. To start with, the chef was merely cooking the food to perfection in a decent amount of time but soon thereafter you must begin directing servers and busboys all while cooking and trying to purchase other venues.

For me, the success in this game led to more responsibility and stress which made the game more like work than fun. When I get home the last thing I want to do is try and run my own restaurant. However, this game does provide a challenging atmosphere where once success has been garnered, it gives one the satisfaction of moving up the restaurant food chain.

For those who enjoy single players games warranting focus, time and continuous effort to command victory, this game is for you. However, for those of us that would like to order a pizza instead of make one ourselves, we will play other apps. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

Chillingo’s Extraction: Project Outbreak is a top-down shooter where you take control of a soldier who must deal with creatures born from failed experiments. If you’re thinking: “that sounds a lot like zombies”, you would be right.

Extraction impressed me immediately with its... Read More

Chillingo’s Extraction: Project Outbreak is a top-down shooter where you take control of a soldier who must deal with creatures born from failed experiments. If you’re thinking: “that sounds a lot like zombies”, you would be right.

Extraction impressed me immediately with its visuals. The top-down angle works well with this type of game as well as allowing you a moment to look at the graphics, which by any measurable standards, are impressive. The game takes you through a poor village, a swamp, and finally a prison, each with its own aesthetic look. The game does a good job of changing locales right about the time you’re getting tired of seeing one.

The gameplay is really what will draw most people in. It is incredibly simple, and I’ll go so far as to say the entire game can be played with one finger (though I prefer alternating thumbs), but most impressively, it works. You tap the screen to move, and swipe your finger over enemies, both singular and in groups, to shoot them. The same can be said for swapping weapons and throwing grenades. I was surprised to see how simple the controls are, and to their credit, they work well.

The game contains the mix of mission types you would expect: your classic kill x number of creatures, find and rescue so-and-so, escort VIP from point A to point B. For those of you that absolutely abhor a mission type, there is a mission select screen, and it is possible to bypass certain missions.

What really helps to keep things interesting is the game’s upgrade system. You can upgrade your soldier’s armor, gun skill, etc. but most importantly, you can upgrade the guns themselves. You use credits gained from missions to upgrade a gun’s stats before being able to buy better guns.

You are given a main weapon and a side arm which you can eventually upgrade into things like access to missile drones and sentry guns. It’s a good incentive to continue through the story, because the story itself is . . . meh. After you complete a certain sector, (of which there are twenty in total) you’re given a cut-scene that helps to further the story, but in reality, there’s not too much going on.

Extraction: Project Outbreak is a game that knows exactly what it is. It is simple, fun, and can be played even if you’ve only got a few minutes (most missions can be completed in under five). The game even has a multiplayer component, but I found it little more than a minor bonus.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some zomb — err, failed experiments to kill. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

McGyro is a first-person arcade-shooter that has great graphics and solid controls. The gameplay is highly reminiscent of classic shooting galleries at an amusement park. The goal of the game is to survive each level and rack up as many points as possible by shooting enemies. You take damage from... Read More

McGyro is a first-person arcade-shooter that has great graphics and solid controls. The gameplay is highly reminiscent of classic shooting galleries at an amusement park. The goal of the game is to survive each level and rack up as many points as possible by shooting enemies. You take damage from the projectiles that the enimies hurl at you or from getting shot by them.

The controls are very intuitive and natural. It only takes a few minutes to become comfortable with aiming. The aim of McGyro’s pistol is controlled either by the gyroscope or by touch. You can only control where McGyro is looking, not where he moves, which is sometimes frustrating.

The graphics of the game are terrific. The characters and backgrounds all share a similar cartoony artistic style. The game has short and amusing cut scenes that set up the level that is about to begin. There is a small but interesting storyline woven into the game play.

The app includes 5 levels, each containing 3 stages, for a total of 15 missions in total. Each level has it’s own storyline and unique enemies and bosses. Some of the enemies you encounter include bandits and aliens.

The game integrates its numerous achievements with both crystal and game center. There is also a multiplayer option in the menu but when touched you are presented with a sign stating that it is “coming soon” with no further indication of a potential release date.

The only downside to the game is that the gameplay stays the same throughout the game. The enemies change and the bosses all require a different tactic to defeat, but the game is still essentially shooting targets. That being said, the gameplay is very fun, so it staying the same is a good thing in my opinion, but some might find it a slight bit repetitive.

McGyro is an exceptional app and is a steal at its current price of $0.99. Hopefully multiplayer will be incorporated into the app soon, which will add even more depth to the game. The game doesn’t break any new ground, but is a first-rate entry in the arcade-shooter genre. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

From Ayopa Games LLC comes BigBot Smash, a game in which (can you guess?) you control a big robot (did you?) and stomp/roll/hover around and smash things, namely buildings, busses, cop cars, people, helicopters and airplanes. Sounds great right?

Not so much. The latest update for... Read More

From Ayopa Games LLC comes BigBot Smash, a game in which (can you guess?) you control a big robot (did you?) and stomp/roll/hover around and smash things, namely buildings, busses, cop cars, people, helicopters and airplanes. Sounds great right?

Not so much. The latest update for BigBot Smash integrates a number of new features that adds a lot more depth to the game, including enhanced controls, expanded customization and upgradeability. Also included in the update is a tutorial. A tedious and maddening tutorial that promises to “turn any beginner into an expert in two minutes”, but which is so long and detailed I almost lost interest in the smashing of things which it was supposed to be teaching me how to do.

Luckily, I’m a rather competent user of iPhones and video games alike, so I was able to figure out most of what I needed to know without the tutorial. So I started playing the game and smashing things.

There are three modes of play available. The Main Campaign sends you, a robot, out on a hunt to collect the lost and dismantled pieces of your robot sweetheart, whom the humans have destroyed (for what I can only imagine were probably good reasons). Speed Demolition, the most fun of the three play modes, involves walking around the city and destroying as many buildings as you can within a certain time limit. Survival Challenge puts you in the middle of the city and sends wave after wave of vicious humans out to destroy you.

All that is well and good, but the act of smashing things ultimately left me unsatisfied. Buildings are smashed by you directing your bot to them, and then your bot walks into/onto them, sometimes waves his arms around, and the building explodes into polygonal shards. You can also jump on top of buildings and humans, a frustratingly imprecise affair, made even more difficult by how tiny all of the humans are. Luckily this app has a pinch zoom feature, otherwise the people would be entirely impossible to see.
If you feel the need to smash things really badly with a big robot, this game is probably worth the purchase price (currently $0.99), but if not, you’re probably better off saving your dollar. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

Temple Run by Imangi Studios is an endless runner game with the trappings of an opening scene from one of the  Indiana Jones movies. The premise of the game is simple: grab the idol, outrun monsters, and avoid fatal falls, death traps and trips. Amongst the many endless runner games in the App... Read More

Temple Run by Imangi Studios is an endless runner game with the trappings of an opening scene from one of the  Indiana Jones movies. The premise of the game is simple: grab the idol, outrun monsters, and avoid fatal falls, death traps and trips. Amongst the many endless runner games in the App Store, Temple Run manages to ensnare the player’s attention in a fast pacde race filled with sharp corners, deadly drops and narrow ledges.

Controls consist of finger swipes and title movements instead of the traditional button tapping. An interest choice as mistiming a swipe is easier than a button tap. However, the control choice works in favor of the game as the reaction time needed to avoid a messy demise keeps players tense and focused.

The point of view is third person chase which helps maintain tension as each obstacle the player faces is literally right around the corner. With each success at avoiding a death, accompanied with its own themed splat sound, the game increases the running speed.

While on the run the player can gently tilt the screen to collect coins which can be used later for upgrades. But I stress the ‘gently’ part as too many bumps against walls will give pursuers the chance to reclaim the idol and vent their justifiable frustration out on the player. Or if on a narrow ledge the player will veer off the stone path into a watery death.

Upgrades are in the form of more coins, coin magnet (no risk of veering off the path), invisibility, death resurrections, different characters to use and wallpaper. Collecting enough coins in a game is easy enough to gain power ups, but more coins can be bought if the player feels the need to be prepared for anything.

The game environment is the standard package for any adventurous explorer. The setting is very nostalgic of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider. A lot of ancient and crumbling stone pathways and temples along with giant tree roots and statues sprouting columns of fire. And let’s not forget the monster monkey who act as the idol’s guardians.

Temple Run is a terrific endless runner game. Imangi Studios created a great freemium game app available for iPhone and iPad. With an average rating of over 4 stars on App Store based on tens of thousands of ratings, do yourself a favor and try Temple Run out. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

Spellcraft School of Magic capitalizes on the lack of a free and entertaining Harry Potter game in the app store. While there are more than enough differences between Spellcraft and the Harry Potter franchise for this game to not just be a blatant ripoff, the similarities are there, and the folks... Read More

Spellcraft School of Magic capitalizes on the lack of a free and entertaining Harry Potter game in the app store. While there are more than enough differences between Spellcraft and the Harry Potter franchise for this game to not just be a blatant ripoff, the similarities are there, and the folks at Appy Entertainment, Inc. have found and filled a nice abandoned niche in the app market with Spellcraft.

Similarities to certain trademarked brands aside, this game fills the void extremely well. Spellcraft is a card based dungeon RPG where you play the role of a student (whose character is customizable) who descends into the catacombs beneath the school in search of lost teachers. While down there, players encounter dozens (hundreds, according to the app store, although I haven’t seen nearly that much variety) of monsters, whom the player combats with spells (cards) and a magic wand (up and down which bounces a giant ball of magic/light/energy which the player must tap when at the tip of the wand and hold to charge to full power).

The battle system is straightforward and turn based, with opportunities presented to buy potions when your health is running low, which makes it really hard to lose, which is nice for people who don’t like losing, but could make the game seem a little too easy for users that prefer a more challenging game.

For winning battles, players gain gold and experience, which are used to buy spells, spell ingredients, character upgrades and to level up. The game hits a snag here, as leveling up is a frustratingly tedious process, with each victory filling your experience bar almost imperceptibly.

Slow leveling up aside, there are plenty of things to do in Spellcraft, from clearing out all the rooms in all the levels of the dungeon (which is “endless,” says the description in the app store), to planting spell ingredients in the greenhouse, to brewing spells in a cauldron, to taking care of pets (which you find in the dungeons and provide defensive boosts), to dueling friends.

This is a game that I had relatively low expectations for, but found myself pleasantly surprised with. Spellcraft School of Magic is one of the better free games available, and if you’re feeling the need to shoot fire at dungeon zombies, this game will give you your fix. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

The app world is filled with different games, from puzzles to RPG. Racing games have always been a popular virtual sport and are prominent in the app world. Streetbike: Full Blast published by Chillingo and made by Turtles Entertainment is a motorcycle racing game taking you to unbelievable... Read More

The app world is filled with different games, from puzzles to RPG. Racing games have always been a popular virtual sport and are prominent in the app world. Streetbike: Full Blast published by Chillingo and made by Turtles Entertainment is a motorcycle racing game taking you to unbelievable speeds in different city streets, but there is a significant problem: the controls are very difficult to master due to their poor design and responsiveness.

My familiarity with racing games is not exactly strong, but after playing Streetbike: Full Blast, I knew much better racing games were out there. With difficult maneuvering, slow acceleration, poor graphics and boring challenges Streetbike falls short, especially coming from well-respected publisher Chillingo.

The controls are tilt-based, which seems to be growing in popularity for new games, but only a few are successful. For Streetbike: Full Blast, the tilt was too sensitive, even when I lowered it down in the options section. When the curves came along, my motorcyclist either hit the wall or made extremely wide turns, losing its place in the game.

For a successful turn, timing was key but a little stressful. Changing the controls to touch screen was even worse, for they consisted of two arrows, one right and one left. In order to keep the motorcycle steady, I had to constantly press both arrows. To make matters worse the controls were on one side, making the game feel a little awkward.

The graphics for Streetbike: Full Blast are low quality. The skyscrapers and trees looked 3D from afar but as I got closer they had a very 2D effect, making the scene look less realistic and unappealing. The only decent graphics were of the motorcyclist, even though he seemed a little boxy as well. The game almost reminds me of arcade racing games from the early 2000’s or late 90’s, but I’m not sure if Turtles Entertainment intended to go that direction. The cars occupying the street are hard to see from afar, yet look very stretched out once you are in close proximity. The graphics definitely need some more work.

The three challenges of the game are as follows: collecting money, placing in the top three, and beating the clock. Of course a racing game is not supposed to be complicated, but with the weak maneuvering and speed I expected exciting challenges to compensate.

An upside to Streebike: Full Blast is the beginner stage, which was fairly easy. However the more advanced stages were difficult to enjoy with all the issues explained above. This racing game is not up there with other apps, but at least it has the potential to improve. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

Greedy Penguins is a physics puzzle game published by Chillingo of Cut The Rope fame and developed by Shamrock Games.  The goal of the game is to feed the correctly colored fish to each of four distinctly colored penguins. The penguins will eat the first fish it encounters, even if it is not the... Read More

Greedy Penguins is a physics puzzle game published by Chillingo of Cut The Rope fame and developed by Shamrock Games.  The goal of the game is to feed the correctly colored fish to each of four distinctly colored penguins. The penguins will eat the first fish it encounters, even if it is not the correct color. If the wrong color fish is digested, then the penguin vomits and the level is reset. Fish are suspended in nets and are released when touched. The fish are ball shaped and roll just as expected.

The first few levels are ridiculously easy. Even though they are designed to introduce you to the game play mechanics, there is no possible way to not complete them. Once you quickly complete the first few levels, the levels become increasingly difficult.

The game really begins to shine in the second level pack. Many new obstacles are added to the game and timing becomes critical. An understanding of the physics of the game is also necessary to complete levels. There is plenty of depth to the game, with a total of 6 level packs.

A poor design decision was locating the reset button which is in the upper left of the screen. Sometimes fish are hanging right next to it, so it is possible to accidently press the reset button when trying to release a fish. Another hindrance to game play is the difficulty of pressing on the fish on smaller screens. Since the fish are so small on the iPhone and iPod Touch you often have to tap numerous times to release a fish.

The graphics are very childish, which is understandable considering its target audience. The animations are also juvenile and one of the goals of the game is to unlock new animations for the characters.  The game will definitely appeal to young players with its cartoony characters and light color scheme.

Greedy Penguins is a solid physics puzzle game for children. It takes a little time for it to become challenging, but once it does there is plenty depth to the game. Older players will probably find the characters and animations immature and people of all ages will find the placement of the reset button annoying. If you can overlook the few flaws in the game it is worth downloading. Close

Posted February 20, 2012

If you are a YouTube junkie who can only get a fix by finding the best or worst of the internet, then NOWBOX is for you. This free app created by Pipely Inc. gives avid YouTubers an organized plethora of videos at their fingertips.

After downloading the app, users are asked to... Read More

If you are a YouTube junkie who can only get a fix by finding the best or worst of the internet, then NOWBOX is for you. This free app created by Pipely Inc. gives avid YouTubers an organized plethora of videos at their fingertips.

After downloading the app, users are asked to select categories they are interested in such as Comedy, Sports, Entertainment, etc. Once the desired interests are chosen the users are prompted to select whether they would like to connect their NOWBOX account to Facebook, Twitter, or their personal YouTube account to synchronize the channels to what they already like. After a few moments, the YouTube guide is set!

After the channels have been set, the stations appear on the left side of the screen. The boxes in white that are to the right of the stations and in the same row are the videos available for viewing on that station. When a video is clicked, a preview of it will appear in the top left corner and a written synopsis will appear to the right. Once a video has been viewed, the box will change shade to a darker gray to show that it has already been seen.

If a user decides the channels prescribed for them is not to his/her liking, or decide to make a change, there is an icon in the shape of a television in the middle panel of the screen to click to make changes! Once the T.V. has been tapped, a “Channel Management” window will appear. Here you can select a category to change stations. When choosing a category, a Pandora’s Box of stations will appear from which to choose. Recently I have been stuck on the “College Humor” station as I can never get enough “Jake and Amir” videos.

Though NOWBOX is not the most innovative of app (Pulse is a predecessor for the news industry) it is an extremely user-friendly app. The ease with which someone can surf Youtube to find videos to their liking without having to plug in random search terms keeps things interesting.

This app is a great one to use on business trips, flights (many airlines have now kitted out their planes with Wi-Fi) or during a potentially dull lecture (you know your Political Theory professor makes you weep with boredom). This app gives users the power to find great things on the internet that is catered to them. User can find what they like without knowing what they’re looking for! To quote Matthew Perry in the movie ‘Fools Rush In’, this app is “…what I never knew I always wanted”. Close

Posted February 20, 2012