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We have the Peter Und Vlad strategy guide written by the #1 Peter Und Vlad player in the world, Edward Abarilla! Be sure to check it out as it covers both common mistakes and pro tips. Become the most extreme sheep herder in the land!
Click here or on Peter for the Peter Und Vlad Strategy Guide!
Chalk Chain Review by Robert Mullen
Score: 2 out of 5
Chalk Chain is a sort of hybrid mix between the classic Snake, and a match-3 game. Unfortunately Chalk chain manages to remove any fun to be had from either genre, and ends up a cluttered mess.
The game is played on what is supposed to be a chalk board, where you guide a piece of scribble around the board collecting various free floating shapes. Each shape collected attaches to your game piece in a snake-like string. When you collect 3 or more of the same game piece together, you are supposed to be able to tap the first piece in the strand to complete the match and earn points. I say that because you sometimes have to try multiple times before the match is activated. You can also shake the iPhone to cash in your matches, but since you control your movement with the accelerometer, shaking the device is likely to cause you to collect pieces you didn’t intend to.
The graphics in Chalk Chain are below average. The animations for the game pieces are not very smooth, and the chalkboard backround is blurry. There is no music to speak of in the game, just one sound when collecting pieces. The game does have Open Feint integration for what its worth.
Bottom line, there are plenty of free games that are miles better than Chalk Chain so I can not recommend it.
Score: 2 out of 5
Orbital is one of my most played iPhone games, and is a title I frequently recommend to friends. We also recently published a review of Orbital. If you want to get a feel for the gameplay check out the free flash game that inspired Orbital, Gimme Friction Baby. Now reduced to just $0.99, there is reason more than ever to check this title out. -Robert
Free Friday has become a bit of a tradition on the app store, and we already have 3 titles for you to pick up for free today. Enjoy!
Spikeys Bounce Around
This game has been highly rated by the press and usually sells for $1.99. A sort of cross between Peggle and Bloons.
Starship Defence
A hybrid mix between an RTS and a shooter. Sci Fi fans should check this one out.
!Run Teddy Run!
Help Teddy Run, jump, and slide through an obstacle course fileld with decapitated teddy bears. Kinda looks like a cute, yet creepy version of Run!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Edward and Bronson for winning the promo codes for Run! Enjoy, and see you on the leaderboards!
Arthur Ham has provided us with 2 promo codes for Run! to help celebrate the recent release of the big 1.1 update. To enter, simply post a comment below, and let us know why our neckless Hero in Run! is running! Is he running from the law? Or perhaps he is just really into fitness…let us know what you think!
The winners will be chosen Friday night! Good Luck!
Now with Wizards, Bombs, and Combos!!
Run! version 1.1 just became available and is a free update to all customers who already have a copy. For everyone else, Run! is still available in the iTunes store for only $0.99. As I have mentioned before Run! is by far my most played iPhone game, and is a must have for any iPhone gamers collection. Arthur provided me with the additional details we have been waiting for pending the approval of the 1.1 update, and the update is HUGE.
Here are the details:
- Quick Mode: Starts off faster with all obstacles in play. Each level up speeds up the game
- OpenFeint 2.2 integration: Compare your scores and achievements with thousands of others and see where you stand!
- Offline support: Submit your scores and achievements offline and OpenFeint will automatically submit them whenever you have a connection
- Extra lives: Collect medallions to earn extra lives, instead of to unlock obstacles
- Hit combos: Earn bonus points for attacking or destroying obstacles in rapid succession. The higher the combo, the more points you earn
- Survival clock: See how long you’ve been running in the pause screen
- Faster retry: No more pop ups need to be closed to start a new game in the results screen
- Improved instructions detailing the best way to play the game (use two hands!)
- 11 brand new achievements, bringing the total to 25
- 2 new challenging obstacles, including the Wizard and the Bomb
- Improved results screen
- Option to remember your Twitter username and password
- Ability to kick while still sliding on the ground
- Randomized one starting obstacle for Normal Mode
- Brick walls are now easier to destroy
- Now earn 2 points for jumping on the spring
3D Good VS Evil is a sort of hybrid containing elements of chess, real time strategy, and rpg elements. The developers are offering the game for free today only. Check it out!
iTunes link: http://j.mp/44Ppzo
It is certainly no secret the iPhone is saturated with Match-3 games. Chillingo and Riverman Media however, have managed to breath new life into the Match-3 genre with Cash Cow, an addicting new title that is bursting at the seams with personality and just may give Bejeweled a real run for its er…money.
Originally developed for the PC a few years back, Cash Cow is no quick port. The developers clearly took their time refining the game in preparation for its iPhone release, and the work is very apparent. In Cash Cow you must help Buck the Cow convert his coins into cash in order to save his farm. His local bank stopped accepting coins for payment, forcing Buck to get to work counting his piles of coins to buy back his equipment and save the farm. The basic gameplay in Cash Cow is simple, and is accessible to gamers of all skills levels. The playing board is filled with pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and using the touch screen, you must combine coins together to produce coins of higher value. Five pennies grouped together become one nickel, two nickels become a dime and so on The maximum value per match is one dollar, and when a one dollar match is completed the coins used disappear from the board. Each time coins are matched the value of those coins is credited towards your goal.
Each level has a monetary goal, and a time limit, with each successful match adding to your time. More casual players who would rather not be bothered with a time limit can play the relaxed mode, which will take them through the entire campaign removing all time limits. Levels later in the main campaign do get challenging and may take a few tries to complete, and that is where the power-ups begin to become a necessity. As you progress the game introduces several power-ups. The power-ups in Cash Cow were clearly well thought out, and are actually fun to use, and well worth the effort to obtain. Instead of just randomly appearing, power-ups must be earned by playing the game strategically. This adds extra depth to the game and encourages you to think about each move when playing through the main story mode.
After completing each level a mini game opens up, and can be completed for bonus dollars. In the mini game you must guide coins through various obstacles and into a bucket. The controls for the mini game are accelerometer based; simply tilt the iPhone left or right to roll the coins through the course. Each course is set up like a mini physics puzzle where you must figure out how to properly navigate your coins into the bucket preventing them from falling off to the left or right. The mini games are enjoyable, and feel like a reward after winning each level. With so many games simply throwing in a few mini games to fill up time, it is nice to see that the developers really took the time to make each bonus level special and rewarding in their own right. There is even a mode available which allows the player to play all of the mini game levels in succession.
Another big element to the game had me building my own farm, choosing even what color to paint my barn. You are able to actually spend the money you earn in each level you complete to help Buck get his farm back up to snuff since the nasty banker repossessed all of his belongings. While purchasing a new windmill, or some flowers for the garden may sound trivial, I actually found the experience relaxing and enjoyable, and ended up taking quite a bit of pride in the farm I built. When you start the game, all you have is a dilapidated old barn, and an empty barnyard. By the time you complete the campaign you will have patched up your barn, planted produce, added barnyard animals, hay stacks, and maybe even the odd banjo. As you progress through the game you will unlock new items for your farm so there is always something new you will want to save up your coins for. With 5 separate modes, extremely addicting gameplay, and so many different activities to keep you occupied, it is best you prepare to lose some serious down time to Cash Cow.
The art in the game is very polished and looks great on the iPhone. I found the bright colors and cheery art style to be very fitting to the overall mood of the game. The music in the game is also really well done as it has a sort of “down on the farm” feeling. Cash Cow is one of the few quality casual games that can be enjoyed by both gamers and non gamers alike, and can be enjoyed by the entire family. Make sure you check this one out.
Cash Cow is currently on sale for $0.99 and is expected to be priced at $2.99 after the sale
Unify from Developer Zach Gage takes an old idea, turns it on its side, (literally!) and creates a premium gaming experience on the iPhone all its own. While it may not look like much in just a screenshot, Unify is excellent in motion, and should not be missed.
Similar in concept to Lumines, Unify is a match-4 game where you must match at least four blocks of the same color to earn points and clear them from the board. Instead of dealing with 1 vertically falling block set at a time, in Unify you deal with two. While viewing the game board in landscape mode, you must deal with blocks appearing on both the left and right hand sides of the screen, both at the same time. Early on in the game, you can easily place each block one at a time. As the game speeds up however, you will need to learn to make use of the games multi-touch interface, allowing you to guide the blocks on each side a the same time. The multi-touch mechanic in Unify makes for some very challenging gameplay. Guiding blocks on each side at the same time trying to produce matches and ideally combos is not at all as easy as it sounds, espesially when you progress through several levels and the speed continues to increase.
In addition to the typical increase in speed following level progression, Unify also makes very clever use of color to ramp up the difficulty. The game actually starts out in black and white, with only black and white blocks to contend with. As you begin to progress you soon find that in addition to an increase in speed, you must now also contend with another colored block. As more colored blocks become available, properly planned placement and combos become increasingly necessary. As the speed of the game increases and you begin to contend with several different colored blocks at once, Unify becomes a very cerebral experience. Certainly expect to have to practice before showing off your accomplishments in the leaderboards.
Unify is equipped with Open Feint and so comes equipped with all of the bells and whistles including achievements and online global leaderboards. Unify is also subtle little touches that really add up to a highly polished title. The sounds in the game are well done, like the satisfying ping you will hear each time a match is made and blocks disappear. The music is also top notch and includes an ever evolving track that changes as you progress, and is actually made from 13 tracks seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. Put on a pair of headphones, and you are in for another treat, as Unify comes equipped with some excellent stereo sound.
Unify is definetely a title that should not be missed, and is very easy to recommend. The minimalistic approach to the art style works very well, the pacing is particuarly well done, and the music is top notch. With Open Feint integration, 40+ levels and an endless mode, you will also find plenty of replayability, as Unify is very likely to earn a permanent spot in your iPhone gaming library.
Score: 5 out of 5
Unify is available for $1.99
Unify Preview from zach gage on Vimeo.
Arthur Ham, the developer of one of my all time favorite iPhone games, “Run!” has submitted a big update and expects it to become available soon.
Here is a list from Arthur detailing some of the features included in the update. There appear to be some additional features he is holding close to the vest and will reveal upon the updates approval.
- Quick Mode: Starts off faster with all obstacles in play. Each level up speeds up the game
- OpenFeint 2.2 leaderboards and achievements (with the option to import previous scores and achievements)
- Offline support: Submit your scores and achievements offline and OpenFeint will automatically submit them whenever you have a connection
- Earn extra lives
- Improved instructions
- 1¹brand new achievements
- 2 new challenging obstacles
- Improved results screen
If you have not yet picked this game up I would highly encourage you to. Run! is available for just $0.99 in the app store.
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