iPhone gaming News, Reviews and more
The developers that brought us iBlast Moki recently released Star Dunk, a fast paced pick up and play arcade title.
The game has you shooting hoops in space, and racing against the clock with just two minutes to shoot for the high score. In addition to competition via online global leaderboards, an online mode pits your skills against seven to nine other players all competing for the #1 spot.
Earned power-ups, unlock-able balls, (each with their own unique bonuses) and a combo system add multiple layers of strategy behind the fast paced action.
Power-ups are earned by lighting up all four sections of the tiered backboard. Each section is lit by simply getting hit by the ball. With a little skill it is possible to light all four sections with one shot.
Developing a strategy that fits best with your own shooting style and skill set takes some experimentation and practice. Do you choose a ball that awards extra points for clean shots and take your time, aiming to rack up massive combos for the win? Or maybe you will go with a slower ball that with a little practice, can trigger a power-up with just one shot, allowing you to take full advantage of the three power-ups available.
One power-up widens the “net” allowing for easier extra clean shots (extra clean shots do not hit anything on the way into the basket and are worth more points) Another power-up allows you to shoot multiple balls at the same time. When used carefully it can be a great way to quickly combo multiple clean shots together for big points.
Before each online match begins you have a minute or two to practice your shots while a group of players is being matched for the next round. While I have heard some complain about the wait between matches; I never found the wait to be a problem as it provides an opportunity to get some practice before each new match. Getting in a few practice shots before a match certainly beats sitting around in a lobby.
Godzilab has managed to combine online multiplayer competition with the quick pick up and play convenience that fits so well with the platform. Competing for the top score against 9 other live players is much more entertaining then competing with a lifeless leaderboard with thousands of players.
At just $0.99 Star Dunk is an easy recommendation. While perfect for quick 5 minute play sessions, don’t be surprised if one game suddenly turns to twenty.
Venan Arcade and Shawnimals have combined forces to bring us an excellent new pick up and play title in the Ninjatown universe. Trees of Doom is a different take on the “jump as high as you can” genre made popular by titles like Doodle Jump. Instead of simply steering a constantly jumping charachter, you guide your ninja jumping back and forth between 2 trees. I was pleased to find that the mechanics work well and do the excellent art style justice. As a mobile pick-up-and-play title, Trees of Doom delivers addicting gameplay, and plenty of charm. The title comes packed with the Plus+ network, and also includes Facebook and Twitter integration. At $1.99 Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! is easy to recommend.
100 Rogues
The long awaited 100 Rogues is now available in the app store for $4.99 but not without some controversy. It seems a few small changes slipped into the final build just days before submission caused some fairly nasty bugs to come crawling out of the woodwork. The developers thankfully have been incredibly quick to resolve the issue, and have already sent a patch to Apple which is expected to become available for download as early as this Friday.
Now for the good news; For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the release of this modern Rogue-like made from the ground up for the iPhone, I can safely say your waiting was well worth it. The gameplay mechanics are really fantastic and the game almost seems to be developed as a love letter to genre fans. Fans of titles like Shiren the Wanderer, Izuna, or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Series will not be disappointed. 100 Rogues features a fantastic retro-modern art style, tons of great animation, and all of the bells and whistles fans have come to expect form the genre such as randomly generated dungeons, tons of loot, turn-based gameplay, and insanely challenging levels. Beginners beware; You will die..you will die many times over, and when you dieits game over, all progress is lost, and you are sent packing back to the beginning of the game.
There are a few tweaks to the classic formula that do end up adding extra depth to the game, and ultimately more fun. In addition to the classic scrolls used for offensive and defensive combat, 100 Rogues also offers a sort of mini skill tree. There are currently 2 playable classes included in the game, and each has thier own unique play style and skill tree. The skills learned can vary like scrolls from offensive to defensive skills, and these skills become a very important part of surviving as you descend to the depths of the dungeon.
The developers have been very active in the iPhone gaming community and have already discussed plans for additional content including additional classes, additional dungeon levels and more. Even with the occasional crash ( and yes I have experienced them multiple times) I am still having a blast with this game and have no problem recommending it to genre fans. The developers have been incredibly open an honest about the issues surrounding the launch and have been very quick to get to work and find a solution.
Funkyball Worlds is the latest iPhone release from Astraware. Stay tuned for a review of Funkyball Worlds from M.J. I have spent some time with Funkyball Worlds myself, and have been extremely impressed with its extremely high level of polish matched with gameplay that feels right at home on the iPhone. Click here to continue….
We followed the progress of Plushed for some time at The Current Gamer, and are happy to announce it is finally available in the app store. With beautiful 2D hand drawn graphics, smooth and funny animations, and a familiar yet clever premise it is easy to see why so many have eagerly anticipated Blacksmith Games debut title on the app store. Plushed is a classic style 2D platformer that has you following a plush bunny as he endeavors to rescue his little girl turned princess. Click here to read more…
Review: Boost 3D – M.J.
Rating:
(4.5/5)
Developer: Jonathan Lanis
Current price: 1.99
If you’ve just started gaming on the iPhone/iPod Touch, you may not be familiar with the classic “Cube Runner,” which boasted both perfect accelerometer control as well as spazzy 3D graphics running on a silky smooth framerate -not to mention its free- it couldn’t help but raise the bar for the “obstacle course” genre. Now that the AppStore has matured over the past year with more and more games of its caliber coming out, Boost 3D has arrived and taken the genre to twisty new heights.
The objective is simple. Using the accelerometer you control some sort of ship charging through a series tunnels that twist, turn, and even unfold. Through the level you are constantly bombarded with colored blocks and must avoid these at all cost, lest you die. Luckily you get warned before obstacles appear by flashing streaks of color, and there are tracks with boost arrows you can run over to make you go faster and give you invulnerability for a short time.
The game gets progressively harder the longer you go; the obstacles you face coming at you in many shapes and behaviors. Some move, some zigzag, and some don’t even get picked up on your radar. If you lose, it can be quite tiring having to drug through the first 1500 meters, so I would have liked a harder mode that gets you into the heat of everything right away. Despite this though, it’s a really fun and engaging game.
The graphics are nothing to gawk about, but the game does carry a nice clean cell-shaded look akin to something like Portal. It, along with the steady tempo of the music and smooth controls give you almost a hypnotic feeling as you’re cruising along your way.
As a pick up and play game, Boost 3D has a clean look and feel coupled with great controls and addicting gameplay giving you lots of replayability. More game modes would have been appreciated, but this is definitely not one to miss out on; check it out.
Overview:
- Not enough game modes.
+ addicting gameplay.
+ Smooth controls and lightening fast framerate.
Rating: (4.5/5)
Review: Finger Sling – M.J.
Publisher: Pocket Monkey Games
Developer: SuricataSuricata.com
Rating:
(4/5)
Current price: 0.99
There never seems to be a shortage of simple games appearing on the AppStore. Combining some sort of a board-game/castle-defense theme, the objective is simple. Controlling a ball on a sling with your finger, you are to protect your motherball from being pushed out of a circular boundary by enemies. If the motherball gets completely out of bounds, the game ends.
After every ten levels you have a boss level where you must constantly smack at it while flicking away its ammunition. This is quite fun, but it should occur more frequently. Also, there are no lives that you earn or any continue option to speak of. This can be very frustrating as even making it to the first boss battle a challenge.
After you successfully complete a level you use the points you got from smacking away enemies to upgrade things such as the speed and size of your ball, increased motherball boundary size and decreased motherball size. The harder you smack away enemy balls the more points you get.
I would have liked to see some more upgrades or even some powers to shake the gameplay up, but as of now the game feels very stripped down. If you can get passed there being no lives and a difficulty curve, this game is much more addicting than some of its counterpart buddies. Consider checking it out.
Overview:
- Game gets hard too fast, no extra lives
- Feels stripped down; needs more upgrades and powers.
+ Unique concept.
+ Slick controls.
+ Addicting “one more try” gameplay.
Rating: (4/5)
I am a huge Run! fan, and even now have yet to find another title in the genre that comes close. The action in Run! is very well done and the controls are spot on. For those not familiar, Run! has you trying to get a neck deprived runner as far as possible. To do this you must jump, slide, kick, and shoot your way through all kinds of crazy obstacles. You can check out an interview with Arthur in the interviews tab. – Robert
Here are the details on the new massive update:
- Custom Mode: Customize the game the way you want it, including the ability to add/remove obstacles, adjust the speed of the game, and tweak many other settings
- OpenFeint challenges: Challenge your friends to beat your score or combo after any game to battle it out for the best win-loss record!
- Send your customized games: Name your customized games and send them to your friends as OpenFeint challenges to see who can beat you at your own game!
- Leaderboard enhancements: Leaderboards have been redesigned, and daily leaderboard scores have returned
- Slower saw: Due to popular demand, the saw is now slower. You can optionally switch back to the old saw in the Options menu
- Multiple accounts: Easily switch between multiple accounts with OpenFeint 2.3 so that you and your friends can play on the same device
- Fixed issue with the medallion count accidentally resetting
- Added ability to slide and shoot at the same time
- Added option to turn off vibration (for devices with vibration capability only)
- Expanded hit area of the bomb
- 8 new achievements
- 1 new obstacle
We can’t help but love Hook Champ at The Current Gamer. Hook Champ has everything we love; fast action, beautiful pixel art, and hat shopping.
Rocketcat Games has released a massive update that among other things includes a unique new ghost challenge feature allowing you to challenge friends online.
Here is a detailed description of the update:
WHAT’S NEW:
- New unlockable character with bigger guns (and almost as many hats)!
- New Challenge Levels, with the fastest Chaser ever!
- OpenFeint Leaderboards and Achievements!
**** The FIRST GAME EVER to feature OpenFeint Ghost Race Challenges! ****
- New hats! More hats than previously thought possible!
- New item for Jake to help out in lava-heavy levels.
- Restart Level option in Pause Menu!
- Numerous bug fixes (including that mute switch!), tweaks,
improvements, and much much more!
Games Faction, the developers that brought us Inkvaders have struck again with their new release Trigger Happy Christmas.
Trigger Happy Christmas pits Santa against a horde of rebellious elves that seem to be set on destroying Christmas. So naturally, Santa opens up the gun cabinet and starts kicking ass!
Trigger Happy Christmas is available on the iTunes store for just $0.99 iTunes Link
The much anticipated Ravensword from Chillingo is now available on the iTunes store for $6.99.
Ravensword is a massive open world RPG boasting an 8 to 10 hour story and plenty of side missions to keep you busy. We will post impressions soon, and also have a full review planned.
Recent Comments