Carambole Pool Puzzles

Archive for February, 2009

Carambole Pool Puzzles

Swain Valasek | Feb 28, 2009 Games

User rating:

(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Now here’s the most charming little puzzle game you never heard of; Carambole Pool Puzzles from ADS Software Group Inc. It’s loosely based on snooker but highly ‘iPhone-ified’ into a smooth-flowing casual game experience. The goal is to use a target colored ball to hit other balls of the same color and ultimately clear all balls from the table. Hitting 2 or more other balls per shot will remove all but anything less and your shot simply becomes part of the playfield. It’s ok to hit other balls in the process but only your current target color will count for that shot. There’s no cue nor other pool acoutrements, you simply position your ball around the perimeter of the level and shoot; it will always travel in a straight line across the table while a power meter dictates the force of the shot. Each shot is with a different colored target ball as long as you have more than 1 color onscreen. The level design is fun and includes static ‘bumpers’ that count as targets, coffee cups (or is that tea), ball racks, non-target black balls that serve to obstruct, multicolor ‘wildcard’ balls and balls you have to match multiple times to clear. There’s even a bonus poker chip that pops up from time to time and gives you extra points if you can roll over it with any ball. The game features 60 levels and a very hip soundtrack from one DJ Ustoz. It does save upon exit so you can pick up where you left off any time.

The only major gripe I have with this game is stability. I probably experienced 10 crashes as I played through the 60 levels so that really needs to be addressed in a future release (rebooting my phone really made no difference). If there’s an upside to that it’s that the game autosaves after every level so a crash is reduced to the equivalent of a minor annoyance. Once you finish L60 the game loops back around to L1 and your score resets to zero which was a disappointment insomuch as there was no fanfare, no congratulations; just back to the beginning. Another oddity is there is apparently a global scoreboard but inexplicably not a local one. So when I finished and my score wasn’t high enough for the main scoreboard, it just went off to the bit bucket. Also, once you beat the game there’s no way to go back and play any level you want so that was a bit surprising as that feature is fairly standard these days. A very nifty feature on the other hand is the game saves a recording of every level so you can go back and review your solution or brag to someone. This is totally cool and more games need to offer this feature. A negative for some is that the game is only moderately challenging and most people will buzz through the 60 levels in short order. This isn’t a negative IMO though, simply means they need to release more levels in an update (hint hint dev if you’re reading)!

Overall this game was a lot of fun but I can’t recommend it until the stability is addressed. Once that’s done, I’d be glad to give Carambole Pool Puzzles two thumbs up as the game plays smoothly, is relaxing and casual and has that tangible ‘one more level’ addictive quality.

Quick note – the price image shows .99 but per the app store this reflects a temporary 50% discount so the review is tagged with what I assume is the regular price of $1.99.

Version reviewed – 1.2
Reviewed on – iPhone 3G 8GB 2.2.1
Global scoreboard – yes
iTunes music supported – no
Lite version available – yes

******************

Update 3/10/2009 – v1.3 is now out and the crash problem has been successfully resolved. The dev is promising more levels and the ability to replay any level in the next update. Fantastic! This is exactly the kind of developer support we all crave and appreciate. I can now wholeheartedly recommend this game to all casual puzzle people out there; you will definitely enjoy it.

: Sometimes your shot is allowed to match multiple colors

: Neat level design overall and that little poker chip is a bonus item

: It does get more challenging but never too hard

Tags: $1.99, carambole pool puzzles, casual, puzzle, snooker, Swain Valasek

Malevolent

Chris J. | Feb 27, 2009 Games

User rating:

(9 votes, average: 2.11 out of 5)

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It’s difficult to review Malevolent and not find myself making comparisons to Pocket God, one of the top selling entertainment apps for iPhone. The basic premise behind both games is remarkably similar, yet each has taken it in a different direction.

As its name suggests, Malevolent is an app that lets you torment, dismember and incinerate a horde of tiny people. This is done by dropping traps, blocks, explosives, and other items of destruction on or among them. Make no mistake, this one is definitely not for the kids. The people may be tiny, but you can still make out the little bloody pieces flying across the screen.

The app certainly doesn’t look very polished. The tiny people just walk around lemming-like until they hit a wall, then walk back the other way. The animation for the walking is only about three or four frames cycled over and over. The levels are simplistic and most are no more than a few drawn lines. Even the menu is unimpressive, and lacks any style at all. Keep in mind that you can add a lot of people, which will slow your iPhone way down. If you throw in a stick of dynamite with a mass of people, your iPhone will come to a near standstill.

There are several different maps to make use of. You can also create your own maps by drawing them or importing pictures. Drawing on the iPhone is tricky, but still works better than trying to get a photo to work. Even after erasing the background the photo didn’t work, the people just stayed at the top of the screen.

Also available is challenge mode, which is more of a puzzle game. You must find creative ways to kill all the people on the screen. Unfortunately there are only five challenges to try. The challenges were moderately difficult, but over quickly.

Perhaps I’m just not vicious enough to enjoy watch tiny people killed, burned, or turned into zombies (that is an option). Their tiny screams, the explosions didn’t keep me interested enough to think about coming back for more. Maybe those with a more blood thirsty attitude will enjoy this game more.

Comparing two similar apps like Malevolent and Pocket God is usually something I try not to do. I begin to feel like the parent complaining to a child, “Why can’t you be more like your older brother!” Yet, I can’t help but wish that Malevolent was more like its older brother. Pocket God is much more attractive in art style, more creative in the various ways of interacting with the people you control, and makes better use of the iPhones accelerometer. On top of that, Pocket God is half the price of Malevolent! You can find the review and subsequent comments for Pocket God here so that you can make your own comparison.

: First impressions are important, the menu leaves a lot to be desired.

: This is your arsenal of destruction.

: As you can see, you can really pack them in.

: The mountain is one of the better looking maps.

: If you ever had an ant farm, this will look familiar.

: The dynamite reduces the tiny people to even tinier bloody chunks. It can also bring your iPhone to a standstill.

: Challenges do add something to the game, in this level I had to find a way to set everyone on fire.

: Here's my own map. As you can see, my artistic skill are limited.

Tags: $1.99, Chris J.

Mind Nimmer

Swain Valasek | Feb 27, 2009 Games

User rating:

(7 votes, average: 2.86 out of 5)

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According to Wikipedia, Nim is a two-player mathematical game of strategy in which players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one but as many as all objects, provided they all come from the same heap. In ancient times it was played with piles of sticks and whoever picked up the last one was the loser, though nowadays it’s common to switch that so the last play wins (Mind Nimmer takes the latter approach). So how do you dress up such a simple puzzle game for the iPhone? Grataware LLC certainly gives us one possibility with Mind Nimmer.

The backstory here is that somewhere in the future, your starbase got demolished and you barely survived in an escape pod. Your only company as you wait hopefully for rescue is an onboard computer who only knows how to play 1 game and has developed a penchant for verbally insulting any who dare challenge it. So you while away your time playing Nim against a much less polite version of HAL 9000.

The spoken insults as you play are entertaining for awhile but grow old quickly and the graphic presentation is very plain, the exception being an animated starfield in the background which is decent. The game is stable and works as described. The issue I have with this is just that Nim is nothing new; it’s an ancient puzzle with a well-documented mathematical solution. So I’m not sure why the dev wants 3 bones for it since once you figure out the solution on your own or look it up, you won’t lose anymore. Even the casual puzzle people looking for a little something to pass the time will quickly tire of this as it isn’t really a puzzle game in that sense; the CPU will beat you 99.9% of the time if you approach it casually.

Perhaps 1 way to add value to this game is to add a 2-player hotseat mode so you actually have a chance of winning once in awhile due to human error (granted you can find someone who actually wants to play Nim with you). Beyond that, the space backstory is nowhere near fleshed out enough to justify the price and that just leaves you with a puzzle game which you will either always lose or always win. If you just want Nim on your iPhone it can be had for less in the app store.

Version reviewed – 1.0.1
Global scoreboard – no
iTunes music supported – no
Lite version available – no

: It's my move and I've already lost, mathematically no way I can win

: On the other hand, advantage me now

: Once you know the solution you can see this screen anytime you want

Tags: $2.99, Games, mind nimmer, Nim, puzzle, Swain Valasek

Rogue Touch

Swain Valasek | Feb 26, 2009 Games

User rating:

(9 votes, average: 3.89 out of 5)

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One of the most beloved and influential computer games of all-time needs little introduction; it’s Rogue. Originally released in 1980 for Unix, it’s the precursor to the entire ‘dungeon crawl’ genre and credited as being the first graphic adventure. It’s been ported to every computer system in the known universe and is alive and well today in the form of many inspired versions called ‘roguelikes’ as well as its original form. So let’s see if Rogue Touch from ChronoSoft does all this history and lore any justice on the iPhone platform, especially considering big competition comes courtesy of Rogue from gandreas software (which is free).

The goal of the game (let’s call it RT hereafter) is to descend to (at least) level 26 of the Dungeons of Doom which are filled with treasure, magic, traps and deadly monsters, retrieve the mystical Amulet of Yendor and return to the surface to claim fame and riches. If you know nothing beyond what I just said about Rogue, there just isn’t enough space here to cover it all so you might want to do your own research (Wikipedia is a good start). Instead, what I’ll try to do is focus on the good and bad points of RT compared to years of playing the original and it’s immediate descendants.

The good stuff:

This is classic Rogue, no doubt about it so veteran players will feel quite at home with Rogue Touch. All the potions, staves, wands, rings, scrolls, weapons, cursed items, nasty monsters and randomization are all here and accounted for. The game uses attractive tile-based graphics that are colorful and detailed (combination of the public domain ’RL Tiles’, work from David Gervais and inhouse art). The dev went the extra distance and added animation sequences to certain events such as descending stairs, dividing slimes and teleportation. This is awesome and a welcome addition to the experience. The UI has been greatly simplified, doing away with myriad keystrokes in favor of a few onscreen buttons and a touch-based inventory and to a large extent I’ve found this to be a bonafide good thing. There is some intro music (though none once ingame) and an ambient dungeon sound-loop runs as you play which is excellent. The immersion and addictiveness of the original have been preserved exactly.

The not-so-good stuff:

What the heck is going on with the armor class? In RT the lower the onscreen AC the better but in the original it’s the opposite. Also with the original the onscreen AC is not the true AC as classic D&D rules are used so the equivalent is the neg of your onscreen AC + 11. However, even though RT ingame presents an increasing onscreen AC as bad, it obviously still uses this formula as that is the value next to your armor in inventory. So if your onscreen AC is 6 your inventory will show 5 and if it’s 5 will show 6. I really don’t understand why this was changed from the original and it doesn’t make sense anyway as the calculation represented in your inventory is no longer meaningful, even in D&D terms.

The movement interface is just not good. I have fairly large hands and having to tap as if the entire display is an 8-way D-pad leaves my finger/hand constantly in obstruction of the screen. The game desperately needs an option to enable an actual D-pad for movement, tucked neatly off to the bottom of the screen somewhere.

The overlay map is a great idea but inexplicably it doesn’t show doors you’ve already identified. The game does let you zoom out from the main map but even then you can’t scroll the map. This makes backtracking to explore remaining areas needlessly frustrating.

The stuff I’d like to see (beyond what’s already been mentioned):

A global scoreboard and iTunes music support. C’mon, this is the iPhone we’re talking about here, hook us up.
Landscape mode. I can’t imagine why this isn’t already in there, desperately needed especially given the mapping limitations already described.
Remember the last player name you typed so you don’t have to keep retyping it on every new game.
Option to recall everything you’ve discovered/identified up to that point. This is in the original and its absence is sorely missed here.
Ability to switch to classic ASCII graphics. The purists out there will appreciate it and hey, the gandreas version supports it.
Category-based inventory sort. In other words, keep the scrolls you pickup logically grouped together and same for potions, rings etc.
Fast move option as constant tapping and even holding to run aren’t really sufficient.

One thing worth noting that may not be possible to change is the save game system. Any rogue player worth his salt was never content with the ‘permadeath’ nature of the game. Even though technically cheating, save games were always backed up, shuffled around, edited etc but always in the interest of just having fun with the game. Not sure how this could be worked into RT but wanted to throw it out there just in case it gets any ideas flowing. Also there’s no wizard mode here and while I don’t really miss it, some might want that confirmed.

In summary, Rogue Touch is excellent, worth the money and the developer is clearly dedicated to future development of the game which has me all kinds of excited. I only gripe about it above out of respect and desire to see it be the perfect Rogue version for the iPhone. It might be a good idea to release a lite version to expand the audience as even though Rogue is close to ubiquitous, there’s an ever-expanding generation gap out there and many will need to play it to ‘get it’ (figuratively and fiscally).

Version reviewed – 1.0

Global scoreboard – no

iTunes music supported – no

Lite version available – no

***********

Update 3/1/2009 - v1.1 is out and addresses lots of the above and more, a must-have upgrade.

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Update 3/5/2009 – v1.2 is out and Rogue Touch is now easily the definitive Rogue app for the iPhone/Touch platform. Buy this game now if you haven’t already.

***********

Update 5/4/2009 – v1.5 is out about a month now and Rogue Touch is somewhere up into the mesosphere at this point as far as developer support; really just the be-all end-all roguelike for the iTouch/iPhone.

: Think I'll slay the kestrel first then snarf the scroll

: Just no getting around this in Rogue, you will die repeatedly and without sympathy

Tags: $2.99, Games, rogue, rogue touch, roguelike, Swain Valasek

Zit Picker 2: Your Friends

Michael (Admin) | Feb 26, 2009 Entertainment

User rating:

(4 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

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Some iPhone apps are essential to daily life, some are addicting, some are idiotic… and some, like Zit Picker 2: Your Friends… are just plain hysterical!

Apparently Zit Picker 1 wasn’t on my radar when it was released, but there’s no way it could have been cooler or funnier than Zit Picker 2. Candywriter has taken the iPhone’s two-finger “pinch” motion and repurposed it in a bizarre “game” where you relive your adolescence by popping big nasty zits. I know it sounds really gross, and it kind of is, but it’s also funny as hell.

Zit Picker 2 comes with a default face named Veronica to torment with acne, but as the title of the app suggests it’s waaaaaaay more fun to pop (or not pop) whiteheads as they grow on your friends’ faces. I tried to get my brother and his soon-to-be-wife to volunteer to be the main characters in my zit picking adventure but they weren’t having it. Bastards! In the end I settled for Brad and Angelina, two people who (I think most would agree) could use a little less perfection in their annoyingly perfect and zit-free lives.

After selecting the Perfect Couple from my camera roll, Zit Picker told me to tap areas where zits should start appearing. I put a bunch of acne target areas on their faces and on Angelina’s bare shoulders and arms, but I guess this app is even more merciless than I am because it demanded more zit zones! Cruel… but sure why not!

After laying enough zit targets on the photo, I started the game and big white pimples started to emerge in the areas I marked. The pace picked up pretty fast as I struggled to keep up with my zit popping duties, and while this game isn’t what I’d call “addicting” in the traditional sense it’s definitely high in entertainment value.

I can’t think of much to complain about with Zit Picker, but I suppose it would be cool if Candywriter could work in some more serious gameplay. As it is, the “game” of popping whiteheads is more funny than fun, so a little level-based gameplay with a global scoreboard might take this app to the next level of Awesomeness. Aside from that, my only other real gripe is that the high score board only allows arcade-style initials (which you have to zit-pop in order to enter!). If some kind of global scoring were introduced, I’d definitely want to put in a full name.

It takes a lot for me to literally “LOL” at iPhone apps, but Zit Picker 2 did the trick. It’s hilariously creative, nicely assembled, and as long as you can avoid offending people who really do struggle with skin problems it’ll earn a long-term spot on your iPhone just by virtue of how sick and funny it is. If laughing and grossing people out is your thing, this may be one of the greatest $1.99 purchases of your life.

edit: I’m now realizing that Zit Picker isn’t too good at handling photos unless they’re portrait-sized, meaning it will stretch landscape photos vertically to fill the screen. That’s gotta be fixed! Best-case scenario would be the ability to zoom or reposition odd-shaped pics.

: Gotta love the two fingers coming in to take care of business on the menu screen

: A good help screen is a must for those not already familiar with zit-popping rules

: Follow Veronica's lead: big faces work best, but you can do a 2-person photo if you really want to

: Brad and Angelina think they're SO cool. I'll show them!!

: Try to keep the red spots on skin unless you want zits growing out of thin air

: More zits on Angelina? Gladly!

: They should print these instructions on bottles of Clearasil

: Angelina would put a hit on me if she ever saw this photo

: POP your initials onto the scoreboard, nice touch

: Poor Veronica is crying because my fingers just couldn't pop fast enough

Tags: $1.99, funny

What Would Jesus Say?

Chris J. | Feb 24, 2009 Entertainment

User rating:

(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)

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If you have always wanted a little cartoon Jesus to spout Bible quotes on demand, today is your lucky day. “What Would Jesus Say?” is an app that does exactly that, and not much more.

There are a lot of these random quote generating apps out there, both paid and free. The concept is pretty much the same across the board, press the button and get a random quote. In this case, the words appear in a little thought bubble above a cartoon Jesus. His mouth moves and he waves his finger in the air, which is what I guess people are expected to do if they are saying something profound.

One thing that does help this app is the ability to access BibleGateway.com to get the context of the quote. This is helpful for those who will want to know exactly what was meant by the quote. Of course, being that all the quotes are from the Bible, a simple chapter and verse reference would be almost as good and wouldn’t require me to go to the web browser.

There are some features that are absent from this app that I have noted in other quote generating apps. Most notable is the lack of any sound effects or music. Being able to browse through quotes if you want to see all of them or select a particular one can be helpful.

There were a couple of things that did annoy me about the app. First was the use of incomplete quotes. Some quotes were too long to fit in the thought bubble, but instead of paring them down or enlarging the bubble they just end mid-sentence. If that doesn’t annoy you then you must…

Also annoying to me personally was the use of quotes not from Jesus. A few of the quotes came from other parts of the Bible and were said by other people. While not a big problem the app is named “What Would Jesus Say?”

The drawings are fine and other than the issues I noted above, the app does what it is supposed to. Since I already have a Bible app, I personally don’t feel the need to have a random quote generator.

: Jesus did occasionally talk about Himself in the third person, but He didn't say this.

: Incomplete quotes are annoying. You have to look it up to see the rest.

: I prefer not to be called Satan, I think that part could go.

Tags: $0.99, Chris J.

Q&F: Bart Board

Michael (Admin) | Feb 24, 2009 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating:

(3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

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Even if you’ve been watching The Simpsons since their badly-drawn days on the Tracey Ullman Show, chances are you still have to hit ‘rewind’ if you miss whatever nonsensical crap Bart has scrawled on the chalkboard during the intro.

Bart Board is a collection of those one-liners that you shake to get from one quote to the next. That’s it! That’s all this app does, but then again that’s all it promises.

It has a healthy number of chalkboard quotes, many of which I double-checked against The Simpsons Archive just to be sure they’re legit (and they are), but the app seems to start repeating much sooner than you’d expect for a TV show gag that’s been ongoing for a good 15 years. Hopefully Desire Life Software will make some effort to round out the collection in a future update.

Bart Board may not have every single quote from every single show but as long as it’s free it’s probably worth a download if you’re a rabid Simpsons fan with a few minutes to kill. Just be prepared for the amusement to be short-lived.

The hell it's not!!

Tags: free

Quadrix

Michael (Admin) | Feb 23, 2009 Games

User rating:

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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I’ve always been drawn to bright shiny objects, and Quadrix is very bright and very shiny. Like most puzzle games it’s based on a really simple premise but, naturally, it’s way harder than it looks.

Your mission in Quadrix is to shuffle the colored tiles into patterns by using the grid’s lone empty square to move the colored blocks one space at a time… arrange matching colors into blocks of four, create a full column or row, put one in each corner of the board, or make a diagonal line that stretches from one corner of the grid to the other. There are also occasional powerups that help you out in various ways such as stopping the timer temporarily or boosting your score.

Child’s play, right? NOT! Robert Neagu, the maker of Quadrix, isn’t gonna let you off that easy. The game has a timer built into it, and you need to make a winning arrangement before that timer runs out. If you don’t, one of the tiles will become locked and you can’t move it, and most of the time that will put a major cramp in your ability to put things where you want them. You can get rid of the locked tiles by using them in a winning arrangement, but if enough tiles stay locked it’s Game Over, so you gotta move fast.

Quadrix lacks a global scoreboard which is disappointing, but I think the most frustrating aspect of the game is that it seems to go on forever! There are no breaks, no levels to conquer… you just keep going on and on and on until you lose or your finger goes numb, whichever comes first. I guess this is why Quadrix bills itself as a “Finger Workout”.

Still, Quadrix is a well-polished app with nice graphics, all the right sound options, and smooth gameplay. It’s a good game and for just $.99 Quadrix is worth a try, especially if you’re a hardcore puzzler. If it turns out you’re awesome at it, be prepared for your index finger to get huuuuuuge from all that exercise.

Click to check out Quadrix

: Yo Robert... we need a global scoreboard!!

: WOW my finger is getting tired!

: Time to start knocking out some of those locked tiles

: How to get your finger workout

: Bonus quads are your reward for making things happen

Tags: $.99, puzzle

Monospace

Swain Valasek | Feb 22, 2009 Games

User rating:

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Up next is the exceedingly clever Monospace from Daniel Lutz of Nonverbal. This game offers 64 puzzles split equally into 4 difficulty levels. The goal is to eliminate all white squares by moving over them with your blue square in 1 square per move, no diagonals and only if the move results in elimination of a target square. Sounds simple enough but ‘over’ is definitely a subjective word here as squares become cubes when you must use the 3rd dimension to proceed. Basically, you use a 3D view to rotate the entire 4x4x4 cube playing field to get a perspective on your next move. You then collapse the playfield down onto whatever plane you want and make your moves in 2D, repeating as necessary until you (hopefully) win the level. If you find yourself in an unwinnable situation, shake to reset or do so via touch options (this is great as it’s not always convenient to shake your phone). It gets even more interesting when red and black squares are introduced: red squares are eliminated as with white but automatically send you a further 1 square in the direction you were headed while black squares can’t be eliminated and serve to block your view and path. The complex interplay between the 2D and 3D views are what give this otherwise (deceptively) simple puzzler its charm and keep you coming back to try just 1 more level.

I was able to complete the first 48 puzzles comprising beginner, intermediate and advanced without feeling overwhelmed and the last 16 expert levels are a nice challenge (I’m just glad the playfied isn’t any larger than 4x4x4!). While probably a little on the easier side compared to other puzzlers, I think this is a great ramp-up as the last thing I want is to be immediately stumped by a puzzle game to where I end up just putting it down and never playing again. The game does allow a bit of skipping around in how it unlocks levels so you won’t be forced to play them in exact order if that’s your whim.

Unfortunately there is no soundtrack and iTunes music isn’t supported. This is a pretty big oversight so hopefully will be fixed quickly in an update. Otherwise I have no gripes with the UI or game mechanics. Not a gripe but worth mentioning is the style of the graphics and sound; a prime example of minimalism in design, like avant garde art that you can interact with. There are literally I think 2 unique sound fx in this game but strangely enough, taking in the game’s aesthetics as a whole, I can’t really call that a fault but more a feature, weird as that may seem. The main suggestion for a future update would be…what else, more levels.

Monospace is a refreshingly good puzzle game that should appeal to a wide audience with it’s simple gameplay, relaxed presentation and moderate difficulty level. Puzzle-people, put this one on your list.

Version reviewed – 1.0

Global scoreboard – no but there’s no score anyway

iTunes music supported – no

Lite version available – yes

: Swipe to rotate the playfield to your plane of reference...

: ...then double-tap to collapse it down to 2D to move, how cool is that?

: Hmm, what to do, what to do...

: I do'd it

: Higher levels introduce the red and black squares

Tags: $1.99, Games, monospace, puzzle, Swain Valasek

Wooden Labyrinth 3d

Ben | Feb 22, 2009 Games

User rating:

(6 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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I’ve always been a big fan of the original labyrinth games (the physical ones) and I was very excited when I heard that there had been a port to the iPhone/iPod Touch. The platform lends itself to this sort of game, and it represents well the type of games I play on my device in general: Fast, easy to access and easy to put down and resume. Something I can enjoy for a few minutes on the train between stops without having to think too much.

Now there is already a labyrinth game in the store, one that I really enjoyed playing, so even though I want to be as objective and as unbiased as possible, it is almost impossible to do a review on this game without comparing it to the other, and the original, competitor.

On with the review and let’s start with the bad.

Thumbs down :(

The “3d”:

As you’ll see from my screengrabs below, the dev’s have attempted to create a 3D effect using the accelerometer to adjust the field of view in the game. This is meant to make the objects in it seem solid and to create a sense of depth.

Honestly, I’m not sure if this works. Sure, it’s kind of cool to jiggle the device around and watch and the blocks sway back and forth, but yeah, does it improve the whole gaming experience? No, really. Unfortunately the iPhone/iPod touch have pretty much no anti-alising, this means that the edges of walls, blocks and almost everything in the game are constantly moving and distracting you with their shimmering jaggedness. I found I could only play the game for a few moments without getting a headache because literally the screen is awash with like a thousand moving pixels.

In sum, while I think the 3d was a cool idea theoretically, in practice it fails.

The jumping:

The game provides a further twist on the original game by allowing its users to jump over obstacles and holes. Thus, if you are playing a level with this feature turned on you can effectively skip over holes and reach the finish line quicker. While this sounds like a very cool feature it is unfortunately poorly executed in Wooden Labyrinth 3d and has the following issues:

1. It’s unclear just how much of a flick of the device is needed to make the ball jump.

2. To leap hurdles you need to really tilt the device then flick it. This while not sounding like much, makes the game almost impossible as you cannot see and control where the ball lands when the device is almost upside down.

Thumbs up :)

- This is, behind the above flaws, still an ok labyrinth game. There are lots of level packs to chose from, each containing a vast array of levels.

- The game gives you an option to calibrate mid-game by a two finger tap.

- Right now it’s 3 bucks cheaper than the original port.

- As mentioned this is an easy pick up, put down game and it has a great feature that’s missing from a lot of games: The ability to resume right where you left off after having exited.

- The developer is obviously very talented. Perhaps an update could fix the above issues I have with the game.

Conclusion: I’d recommend you go for the original game on the iTunes store if you’re okay paying the extra $3 and you want a labyrinth game. If, however, you can look past the flaws I’ve mentioned above then, hey, you’ve saved yourself three bucks mister! Look at you!

: The main menu. It's cool how you can roll the ball around here.

: Level one. Just a matter of getting from the black hole to the checkered hole.

: This screen is a little annoying because when you touch anywhere it comes up and interrupts you. It would have been better if this was like an "i" icon in the corner.

: The alising problem. You have to click on the image to see it properly.

: Ok, ok, this time I'm going to get up there. Oh yeah.

: Oh yeah, you see this? Are you looking at this? Do you F'ing see this!?!??!

: This is where you start to realise that the flicking is probably more a novelty than a legitimate gameplay modification

Tags: Ben, labyrinth, skill game, steel balls

Chess Pro and Chess Lite

Michael (Admin) | Feb 20, 2009 Games

User rating:

(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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Chess is one of those games that, software development-wise, can only get so good… no matter what platform you’re playing on, chess is chess and the game doesn’t change much. This means that what separates great chess games from average chess games is in the Bells & Whistles department, and Chess Pro totally rules in that area. Chess Lite not so much, but that’s why it’s called Lite and costs 1/4 of the Pro pricetag.

99Games went all out on Chess Pro and it shows. It comes with two different 3D-ish boards, wood and metallic, and if the 3D view is just too hot for you to handle there’s the option of going with the same 2D view that’s found in Chess Lite.

Like any good chess game there are varying difficulty levels and the Easy mode is so easy that even *I* can beat it! It’s almost like the Easy computer player wants you to win. I can’t really speak to whether or not the Medium and Hard levels are sufficiently Medium and Hard… all I can say is they kicked my amateur ass… but you won’t see the computer making the same suicidal moves that you’re treated to in Easy mode.

Chess Pro is also equipped with options galore… choose to play as White or Black, play in Two Player mode vs. another human, watch the computer play with itself… I mean… against itself in Demo mode, and you can also get hints on possible moves during the game if you’re hopelessly screwed.

Unfortunately neither of these apps is equipped to teach a complete novice how to play the game, but by default both Pro and Lite will show the legal moves that each piece can make when you select them in the heat of battle. It’s not exactly a clinic, but it’s definitely a good start for those who want to learn how to play the game.

The thing I like most is that Chess Pro (but not Chess Lite) includes two chess variants: Suicide and Losers. In these games the object is to lose your pieces before the other player does! Sweet, definitely my kinda game.

In terms of value, Chess Lite is pretty frakkin’ lite and I’d probably be inclined to try out one of the many free chess apps that are out there before laying down my buck. The board is nothing to get excited about and it doesn’t offer multiple difficulty levels. It does show legal moves and it allows two-player mode but that’s about all it has going for it.

However… if you’re a total chess nerd and have posters of Bobby Fischer on your bedroom wall, Chess Pro is easily worth $3.99! It has all the features you’d expect in a premium app, the chess boards and pieces will win just about any beauty contest, and the Suicide and Loser variants are awesome bonuses for when you get tired of chasing kings. In other words, if you’re going to pay for a chess app you can’t go wrong with this one.

: This menu exists in both Lite and Pro

: This menu is where Pro earns its name

: Lite and Pro are both kind enough to tell you where your pieces can go

: This kind of chess victory only happens in my dreams and vs. the Easy computer

: Hints show up in blue

: The brushed metal board is so money, baby

: It's a little easier to identify pieces on the 2D board but still... yawn

: There's a game called Chess for Losers? Well why didn't you say so

: The inevitable upsell from Chess Lite

Tags: $3.99, chess, puzzles, traditional

CalcConv

Lee | Feb 18, 2009 Productivity

User rating:

(22 votes, average: 2.68 out of 5)

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CalcConv by Mobilissimo is an interesting and handy tool. I have been playing with it for the past week. Its starting point is the basic calculator, very similar in look and feel to the Calculator app that comes with the iPhone/Touch. That calculator covers the basic and scientific calculator.

CalcConv begins to shine when you go beyond the calculator features to the conversion features. The conversions range
from temperature, to acceleration to taxes (yes taxes: US or Canada. Nifty). First impressions. I like having this with me. I like to know it’s there when I need it. My most likely uses include currency exchange, sales markups or markdowns, cooking, volume and length. There are 25 categories in version 1.3.

When I first got the app, there was a bit of a problem with changing the units, but an update quickly took care of that. Now there are very distinguishing up/down arrows in each corner and a nice big space in the top middle for changing conversion units. I also found it appealing that results flash up as you are inputting data, real time calculations. The only thing is that you have to adjust your attention if you are only using it as a calculator because the last conversion data remains on the screen as well. Once you do a calculation or two, that’s easily ignored.

RPN calculators are quite numerous in the AppStore. This feature is available in CalcConv. I’ve never done math calculations in this manner on a calculator, so I had to spend a little time on Wikipedia learning about this methodology. For those inclined, my understanding is that RPN allows more efficient data entry. I can logically follow it, but for some reason, it seems a new trick this dog can’t handle right now. So I stick to the old (inefficient) way for now.

That aside, I had another conversion application before this. It quickly lost its spot to Mobilissimo’s CalcConv.