iPhone gaming News, Reviews and more
I Dig It from InMotion Software was one of my most played games several months back, and is a game I continue to go back to. I Dig It is an extremely well polished title with an addicting premise: mine the depths of the earth, collecting all sorts of treasure along the way. The game was extremely nuanced and had plenty of depth to keep you busy for many hours. You can read our review here.
Back in September we previewed the sequel, I Dig It Expeditions, and have not heard much from InMotion since. Suddenly, today Expeditions became available in the app store for $2.99. Here is the iTunes link.
Expeditions appears to have all the great features in the first title, and more. The developers say to expect roughly 3 times the content of the first title. Here are some details from the developers:
Featuring 4 unique locations around the world:
•Mid-West United States
•Antarctic Tundra
•South American Amazon
•South Asian Ocean
Features:
•6-10 hours of gameplay in the campaign
•Plus hours of additional challenges
•Freeplay mode
•Save checkpoints along the way
•New full screen map to chart your underground tunnels
•Many new supplies available to help along the way
•New inventory screen to manage your diggins and supplies
The developers of Flickitty have been generous enough to give everyone a chance to grab Flickitty for FREE for the holidays!
Dev3 tells us they have changed the price to FREE and that the app store should reflect the discount any time now. We recently reviewed Flickitty, and it remains one of the most popular games among our readers. Make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to pick this great title up today.
Enjoy!!
Mini Squadron was recently released on the app store and has been one of my most played games since then. We have a full review planned once I get through most of the content, but until then I thought it appropriate to post some initial impressions. – Robert
Mini Squadron has you in control of a mini plane in an epic dog fight to the death. Severely outnumbered, you must out-maneuver, and out-shoot your enemies for ultimate victory. You will find several excellent power-ups to help you along the way. Don’t grab the power-ups fast enough however, and you will find your enemies will use them against you. My personal favorite among the power-ups is an enormous laser that completely obliterates anything and everything in its path.
As you progress through the game you will unlock over 50 types of planes, some practical, and some downright bizarre. I am still early on, however it appears that for the most part planes have their own unique weaponry or flight capabilities.
It is also worth mentioning that the physics behind the planes you control are excellent. As you dive, climb, and loop your way through the enemies firepower you must use care to prevent a stall. The controls are nuanced and you should be able to become quite skilled overtime. The controls are simple with a virtual d-pad on the left, and a fire button on the right. The virtual control pad works surprisingly well for such a fast paced action title and never felt to be a hindrance at all.
While I have not played enough for a full review just yet, I can easily recommend this game, espescially to fans of action games and shooters. Mini Squadron is a unique take on the genre and I don’t know of any other title on the app store that is quite like it.
Mini Squadron is available for $2.99 iTunes Link
Review Samegame Gravitized
Review By Edward Abarilla
Rating:
(3/5)
ooPixel is know for creating simple games with great appeal. They have recently released their first ever title for the iPhone, Samegame Gravitized. Their new release is a simple match 3 puzzle game consisting of colorful candy-like circles, and you have to simply tap a group of three or more of the same color to clear them from the screen. If you are not careful you will often find there are no more moves left as this game requires skill, pattern recognition, and concentration.
Samegame gravitized includes three game modes, all of which are un-timed. Classic mode has you tap 3 or more pieces of the same color causing them to explode and removing them from the game. Those pieces are replaced with new ones which fall from the top of the board. Gravitized mode is basically the same mode with one twist. Instead of falling from the top of the screen alone, new pieces can come from the left or the right at your direction. This mode works well. Before you tap a group, tilt your device left or right and an arrow will appear indicating the direction of your tilt, and as soon as the pieces are removed, the new pieces will come from wherever you the direction you tilted. If you want pieces to drop from the top, simply don’t tilt the device. The difference in the the last 2 modes is subtle but brings variety to the game. Puzzle mode has pre-located groups placed strategically on the screen, and you must remove all of the pieces in order to finish a level. This mode is harder than it sounds, as it forces you to think several steps ahead to beat . The difficulty on all modes ramps up quite fairly especially on Puzzle mode.
Visually, the game is very colorful, the pieces just looks like candies.The explosion effect is well done and ads to the game visually. Unfortunetely I can not say the same for the games sound. Yes, it has a nice explosion sound effect but I would love to hear some music for more variation, which is always a good thing. Having no music just makes the game a bit dull considering the game is visually impressive.
High-scores and awards are provided using Agon as the social platform for Gravitized. So, if you like having those features, you’re in for a treat. Award are a bit challenging to earn, but not terribly difficult.
The good things about this game is you can play it on short bursts or even more. This game is good, a fun time-waster and will surely be a sweet experience.
Rating: (3/5)
Faju Ball is a visually stunning 3D physics puzzler that has you maneuvering balls around a box inside your iPhone to solve various puzzles across 60 levels. Don’t miss the opportunity to pick up this gem for free before the new update arrives. Enjoy!
Today VernX was discounted to $0.99 from $2.99. For those not familiar, VernX is a true hidden gem, a physics game that has you guiding 50 particles through 45 clever and challenging levels using the accelerometer. The frame-rate in VernX is incredibly smooth, and the integration of the physics engine with the accelerometer controls is extremely well done.
The visuals in VernX are simple but effective, but this is really a game you have to see in motion to appreciate. Check out the video below to get a better feel for the gameplay. After getting through about half of the levels myself, I am happy to recommend this gem at $2.99 and would say its a must buy at $0.99 especially for anyone who enjoys physics games.
We recently published an interview with one of the developers on the game, which you can see here.
THQ Wireless has just release Star Wars: Trench Run, a tilt controlled fighter that puts you behind the controls of your own X-wing. The game features 3D graphics, multiple difficulties, online leaderboards, and even special graphic options for 3GS owners. Star Wars fans will also be happy to find authentic Star Wars sound effects and music integrated into the game.
We will post impressions once we have some real hands on time with the game. Star Wars: Trench Run is currently available on the iTunes store for $4.99
We recently received word that Mini Squadron is in approval purgatory, and will hopefully be available soon. Mini Squadron is a beautiful side scrolling shooter featuring over 50 types of planes, plenty of power-ups, and all kinds of fun and bizarre enemy types. We will keep you posted as the game becomes available. You can follow @mrfungfung for news and updates right from the developer.
Here are some tasty appetizers to get you ready for the main course:
The last thing I expected of my November in iPhone gaming was to be getting back into Bejeweled 2 full swing. With the release of the new Blitz mode update however, Bejeweled has me addicted all over again. For those not familiar with Blitz mode, it is a very popular game on Facebook that has you competing against your friends for the best possible score in just one minutes time. Any Facebook friend who has played the game as well will be visible on a custom leaderboard allowing you to compare scores and compete for the top spot among your peers. The iPhone version has integrated this feature seamlessly, and I think that Blitz mode really increases the value of an already stellar title. – Robert
Bejeweled is available for $2.99
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Review: Skull Pogo by Blinkbat Games
- Robert Mullen
Rating: (5/5)
Skullpogo by Blinkbat games is a simple yet addicting action arcade game featuring a pogo bouncing skeleton and vampire pigs. In Skullpogo there is no health bar, and there are no lost lives. Instead, Skullpogo has you hopping from skull to skull building your combo and crushing baddies. Skullpogo is pure action without any of the frills, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The mechanics in Skullpogo are simple, and work very well. The standard control method uses accelerometer control. Buttons on each side of the touch screen control the height of your jump, while tilting your device left and right controls your movement. There is also a touch and drag control mechanic, as well as a 2-button mechanic, but the accelerometer controls work so well I never felt the need to use the other two. As you begin the game, small baddies begin to invade the screen. You will see vampire pigs, bats, zombies, cats, and more as you bounce through each level. Skullpogo is all about the high score, and to achieve the best possible score you must string kills together in massive combos. As enemies run, fly, and float through the screen is is possible to bounce from one to another dozens of times over without ever touching the ground. Its sort of like a spooky and violent version of “the ground is lava” game you played as a kid at recess.
While the pogo turns out to be an incredibly lethal weapon in Skullpogo, you will have plenty of power-ups at your disposal. Power-ups like the nuclear bomb that destroys all baddies in its wake are very entertaining. Power-ups appear at random and you have just a brief amount of time to jump on it before it disappears. There is a nice variety of power-ups and some require skill and practice to utilize correctly. When working to earn your place in the Open Feint online leaderboards, skillful use of available power-ups is important.
There are 2 modes in Skullpogo, Classic, and Halloween. The only real difference between the 2 is the enemy variety. Some enemies unique to the Halloween mode, such as the ghosts, have unique flight patterns that should actually affect your strategy for the best high score. Each mode is separated into 5 levels. Each level provides a certain amount of time to rack up as many points as possible by killing baddies and building up combos. As you progress through the levels, the enemies become more diverse and more frequent, allowing for massive combos. At the end of the 5th level you take one final jump onto a great pumpkin and are launched high into the air.
While 5 levels may seem sparse initially, Skullpogo really isn’t about beating levels at all. Instead, your goal is simply to get the best possible score in the time available to you. That means taking advantage of each and every baddie, racking up huge combos, and using power-ups properly. A full playthrough will take only just a little over 5 minutes or so, which I think is really well suited to the platform. Skullpogo provides great pick up and play action for when your on a lunch break, a coffee break, or on the couch watching TV. You will also find that while a full playthrough may only take a little over 5 minutes, it will not be uncommon to find yourself playing Skullpogo for 30 minutes, or even an hour. At the end of each playthrough, you are shown your high score and your largest combo. It is very difficult to out the game down when you want just one more playthrough to beat your longest combo or your best score.
The graphics in Skullpogo are very well done. The 2D sprites have a nice classic look, and the animations run very smooth. There are also neat visual affects when using various power-ups. The music in Skullpogo is top notch and never got old. Skullpogo’s music has a very retro feel, and fits the game very well. You will also find a whole list of Open Feint integrated achievements in Skullpogo which adds even more replayability. Each achievement has a clever little description and are lots of fun to read. Its the little details you find everywhere in Skullpogo that make evident the love and care that was put into the development of this title.
Skullpogo should absolutely not be mistaken as just another Halloween game. Skullpogo is a great game that just happens to have a Halloween theme. With its addicting gameplay, attractive art style, and pick-up-and play design, Skullpogo will be on my playlist through Christmas, and beyond!
Rating: (5/5)
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