iPhone App Reviews

NFL Rush Zone

Sara | Jan 17, 2010 Games

User rating: (5 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)

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The NFL has a kids site called the Rush Zone, and this game by Brandissimo! is based  on some games on the site. The app features two mini games: Detentionator Dash and Lateral Collateral. In Detentionator Dash, you play as a child trying to escape detention. The Detentionator is a robot that shoots a ray that can sense movement. You try to escape the detention room and collect as many bonus points without getting caught. This mini game was really fun and easy.

The second game was Lateral Collateral. You get to control an entire team trying to score a touchdown. As you advance down the field, you may meet some opponents trying to collide with you and get the ball. You just tap the left or right side of the screen to pass the ball to one of your teammates to the right or left of you. This was my favorite mini game because when you scored a touchdown, the entire team would do a victory dance. :D

The graphics on this game are great considering this game is aimed towards younger kids. It has a very simple set up and is great to give to your kids to play when you are in a restaurant or waiting in line somewhere. It is a very cute game that does a good job of promoting the NFL Rush Zone site. It definitely convinced me to check out NFLRushZone.com! I also like how the games were simple enough for a little kid to play. It also (sorta) promoted teamwork in the mini game, Lateral Collateral.

Overall, this game is great, fun, simple, and cheap. If you need a game for your little football fan, this is definitely it. Check it out; it’s only $.99!

iTunes Link – NFL Rush Zone

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1.1

Tags: $.99, fun, Games

iDemolished

Tony Mei | Jan 14, 2010 Games, Uncategorized

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Day 1: Well, I’ve always liked destroying buildings. So when Mommy told me about an opening at a local building destruction business ran by iauns (the foreman is part of her book club, and they meet on the third Tuesday of every month for discussion and scones), I reasoned that I was the person for the job. And I don’t think I had any plans for my life, anyways.

Day 2: I did not know a stick of TNT cost only one dollar. Must be that blasted economy.

Day 3: I was given a few tutorial levels to start with, but I ended up making the intern do them while I supervised. Apparently, the buildings I’m knocking down are just pieces of wood stacked on top of each other. I think I could have taken them down with a good shove.

Day 4: Foreman gave me a stack of one dollar bills and told me to go blow out building number four. I used one stick of TNT to do the deed, and then hid the rest in my truck. You can’t get one dollar TNT anywhere, you know.

Day 5: I found out I could rig TNT to explode at a later or earlier time. I guess that’s useful, if I ever came across a building that took more than one stick of explosive to bring down.

Day 6: Given a new type explosive to use. My foreman is impressed with my work, and I’ve been making sure to give that intern plenty of field experience. The kid’s rather sharp, you know. I haven’t heard from him in a while though. I hope he’s finished my dry cleaning.

Day 7: Buildings are getting kind of challenging, especially after the intern left. But it’s not like I needed him anyways. I’m starting to rethink wasting my extraordinary talents on a job as mundane as this.

Day 8: I slid my resignation under foreman’s door, and then went home, retreating back into the recesses of my parents’ basement. I still think I have that car full of TNT, though.

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I’ve spent nearly a week (that just tells you how much I’ve procrastinated in getting this review out) constantly playing this game, and I’ve barely made a dent in it.

The ability to control the falling blocks (to an extent) with the accelerometer is clever, and I enjoy being able to rig bombs to explode at different times. The strategy of buying bombs is also present, as bigger bombs cost more and become less efficient, but are sometimes necessary. And it’s just fun to fill up a building with 60 sticks of $1 dollar TNT and compare it to a building with a single mother-hen bomb.

The campaign of the game is gigantic, filled with several pages of structures to demolish. Progressively harder buildings are made out of some sturdier stuff and are much more difficult, requiring increasingly clever tactics in order to meet your status quo.

I’m always a fan of being able to generate your own game content, and iDemolished has a neat feature that allows the creation of your own to-be-obliterated buildings. The building creation interface is slightly intimidating and confusing at first, but after sifting through all the stuff, it’s pretty intuitive. And it’s a lot of fun making things and blowing them up.

iDemolished is a fantastic game, having the unique ability to keep a gamer enthralled for hours (which is good for the game, but not so great for my sleeping habits, or battery life). The game is streamlined and high quality, and I haven’t had any problem with the crashing or bugs that plagues other promising apps.

For those looking for a pyrotechnic fix, iDemolished is a great way to spend that dollar (well, other than on $1 TNT, of course. But where can you find that, these days?)

Tags: $.99, casual, fun, physics

Theme Park Madness

Sara | Jan 9, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

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Every summer, I would go to my local theme park and see tons of teenagers controlling the rides. I often wondered what it would be like to be a ride operator.

This game by Movile finally gave me a chance to become a ride operator. Okay…I didn’t actually get to control a real roller coaster and get paid, but this game is still fun! There are two simple controls: touch the left part of the screen to deccelerate and touch the right side of the screen to accelerate. You get to travel around the world and can earn achievements for each roller coaster.

When I first tried this game, I thought, “How hard can this be? All I have to do is hold down the accelerate and watch the graphics of the ride!:D ” I was wrong. These roller coasters have sharp drops, sudden hills, and lots of loops. I would find myself going at a nice speed, and suddenly I would find a sharp drop. BOOM!!! Next thing I know, I see my passengers have deployed their parachutes (apparently, the theme parks I work at give all passengers parachutes) and are safely floating to the ground.

I found this game very addictive and very fun. One of my favorite parts was the achievements. Some of the achievements are Speed Demon, Grabbing Air Time, and No Brakes! No Brakes was the hardest to earn because you can’t deccelerate at all, or else you don’t get the achievement. I  liked the backgrounds for each city because they represented each city very accurately (I loved Washington D.C. because the roller coaster passed the White House:-) ).  At $2.99, I found this game a bit pricey, but there are 18 levels, so I guess that justifies the price.

Overall, this is a fun game to play on your coffee break or during lunch. Get this app and see if you are a good ride operator or not. I know I’m not. :lol:

iTunes Link – Theme Park Madness

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1

Tags: $2.99, fun, Games

iSpy

Sara | Jan 9, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)

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I remember playing this game when I was young. Of course, this was before the invention of the iPhone. I would sit in the car with my siblings, and my parents would yell out a random item. I raced with my brother and sister to try and spot the item first. Whoever spotted it first would get to choose the next item to try to find. This killed lots of time on car journeys.

This app those exactly what my parents did, except it makes it more fun. You can have up to four players. You put the iPhone within tapping distance of each player and choose if you are playing in the countryside of the city. It then presents you with a picture of something to look for. Whoever finds it first, gets to tap their name. The good thing is, that you can choose for it to change the picture if no one can find it in 1/2 minute up to 5 minutes. There are also two game options. Option one is a timed game where you try to accumalate the most points before time is up. Option two would be for a longer game. You try to reach the set points amount first. You can make the amount 5, 10, 15, or even 50 points!

The game presents you with pictures of anything from a bird to a blue car. It is definitely a great game to let the kids play on those “neverending” car journeys. It also stops them from saying, “Are we there yet?’ every 2 minutes. :) My favorite part about this app is the simpilisticness. It doesn’t have complicated set up and is easy enough for your five year old to get the game started so that you don’t have to take your eyes of the road or your hands off the wheel.

This MicroApps game may be small memory space wise but is definitely a huge investment if you want to keep your sanity on car trips. :D And at $.99, it isn’t a budget buster, so pick up this app today!

iTunes Link – iSpy

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1

Tags: $.99, fun

iBacon

Sara | Jan 9, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)

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I have always loved the smell of bacon and the sound of it sizzling in the pan. When I saw this app, it brought me back to the days when I would have a big test in school, and my parents would make me all the bacon I could eat.

iBacon is a great app for the bacon fanatic who wishes they could cook bacon everywhere they go. True, you can’t actually eat the bacon, but who doesn’t like that sound of the bacon sizziling in it’s own grease in a pan (Of course, unless you are a vegetarian, then I totally understand why you would hate theat sound) ?

When I launched the app, I was met with a cute drawing of a pig in a chefs hat; I found this funny and ironic at the same time. I loved how they used actually loop videos of bacon sizziling to simulate that you were cooking the bacon. If you leave the bacon without flipping it for a while, it might burn or grease might splatter. You can also flip the bacon by selecting it, and you will see a video of your bacon being flipped. This G-Monkey Production did a great job of incorporating realisticness with ease of transition from bacon-cam to a real-life video.

My favorite part of the app was to eat my bacon. You got to tilt your iPhone/iTouch towards your mouth and the bacon magically disappears into your stomach! Be sure to turn your volume up because at the end, a guy says, “Mmmmm bacon!” This app is great for showing to your friends and saying, “I bet your iPhone can’t cook bacon!”

Overall, for $.99 this app is a great conversation starter. So, if you are a bacon fanatic like me, be sure to check out this app.

iTunes Link – iBacon

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1

Tags: $.99, fun, interesting

Family Feud

Sara | Jan 8, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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It’s time to play Family Feud!!!!! I have always loved watching this show on Saturday mornings. The unique game play, funny answers, and catchy theme song just drew me in. Naturally, I had to review this Ludia app based on the game.

This game did not disappoint. It is set up where you have 12 families to beat in single player mode, and in party mode, you get to play human vs. human instead of human vs. computer (party mode actually seems to be only two player mode, not really a party mode).

The set up of the game is just like the actual show. You are presented with a survey question and can buzz in to answer. The game is somewhat easier because you get to type your answer, and as you type, it presents you with suggestions (if your answer isn’t a suggestion, it most likely isn’t on the board). I found the choice of survey questions to be large. After playing for several hours, I hadn’t found any repeat questions.

I really like the graphics for this game. The stage for the game is exactly like the one on the tv. You get to customize your character too; as you advance through the game, you unlock more clothes for your character. I loved the clothes choices because I was able to make a character that looked exactly like me :D .

The only problem I had with the game was that it crashed a few times and froze. I know that this can be common with apps and games, so this didn’t bother me that much.

Overall, this game has everything: enough questions, great graphics, fun gameplay, and great clothes for customizing your character. This game only costs $2.99, and I highly recommend it.

iTunes Link – Family Feud

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.0.1

Tags: $2.99, fun, Games, interesting

Wind OS

Sara | Jan 3, 2010 Entertainment

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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Wind OS is the first Windows emulator for the iPhone. “What is an emulator?” you may ask. Well, it is a program that tries to mimic the real thing, and this app does just that. Although this Bamboo Group app is a great emulator of Windows, it does lack some programs that you would expect from Windows.

Since it is only $.99, I thought it would probably just look like Windows and do little to nothing. I was wrong. It had an internet browser, a notes feature, and of course, Minesweeper. Although 2 of the 3 programs listed here already come standard on the iPhone, I found it cool that it put them there. Also, when you turn on the sound, you hear a cooler.

When I “booted up” the emulator app, I got a good laugh as while it loaded, it provided screens that looked like a computer booting up. It even had a page that said, “Wind OS loading” with a progress bar that looked like it had come out of Windows XP.

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Tags: Entertainment, fun, interesting

Rail Adventures

Sara | Jan 2, 2010 Games

User rating: (1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Imagine you are a star of a horror movie gone wrong. Instead of having “fake” scary scenes, this is all real. You play as a character stuck in a mine in a cursed mountain. Armed only with two guns and limited ammunition, you hop into an old mine car and try to escape. You encounter skeletons, zombies and bats who are all trying to kill you.

This game has great 3D graphics, and at $.99, this exosyphen studios game is a great. It is divided up into five levels. In order to advance, you must get 85% in kills, gold bars obtained, and objects avoided. After you unlock all the levels, the only way to unlock the final level and escape the mountain is to make sure you have bumped that 85% up to at least 90%.

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Tags: $.99, fun, Games

Impossible Finger Carnival

Sara | Jan 2, 2010 Games

User rating: (2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Step right up! Step right up! Only $5 for 3 shots! Knock over the milk bottles and win a fabulous prize! I remember walking through the midway at the fair that always came to my town being tempted by the carnies to step up to their game, fork over $5, fail miserably, and receive a puny $.5o toy. I, of course, was gullible enough to fall for their tricks.

When I saw this app, it immediately brought me back to last summer, walking through the midway to watch the suckers fork over outrageous amounts to win useless stuff (but I did see someone win an electric guitar, but that’s a different story). The Impossible Finger Carnival, a fiendish game designed by Darrellution, is exactly what the name says, impossible! It’s not that the tasks (removing slime, finding a lost item, keeping a ball in play, popping a certain color balloon, spelling a word, solving a math equation, catching items, and tapping a button) are not feasible, but rather the time limit given.

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Tags: $.99, fun, Games, hard

Q&F: Hungry Dragon

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Games

User rating: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Hungry Dragon is an Asian remake of the popular retro-game, Snake. In this game created by Secret Game Lab, you are a dragon trying to eat the green dots to grow and the red dots to obtain shields. You don’t have to worry about bumping into the walls, as they are barriers and won’t make you lose one of your three lives.

The game is divided up into levels where you have to eat all of the dots in the level before more appear. This makes the game more challenging than the original Snake. The only flaw to this otherwise fun game is the controls. You move your dragon by tapping the bottom left and right corners. You tap the middle to activate a shield. I often found myself accidentally activating the shield and would have rather had a D-Pad for movement and a button to activate the shield. Other than this minor flaw, Hungry Dragon is a great game.

iTunes Link – Hungry Dragon
Version 1.o
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.2

Tags: free, fun, Games

Sudoku!

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Games

User rating: (4 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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Sudoku, everyone’s favorite Japanese puzzle game. It first became popular a couple years ago and spread from newspapers to hand held games to finally the iPhone. Of course you know how to play, right? If you answered, “No,” to that question, you should Google it. This sudoku app designed by Mayan Software is cheap, fun, addictive, and did I mention cheap?

For only $.99 you get 20,000 that’s right, 20,000 different puzzles! That divides up to 4,000 puzzles per level. If you played a puzzle a day, it would take you about 54 years to complete every puzzle! Now that is a worth-your-dollar app! The levels range from easy to devilish. And when they say easy, it’s not, “This is sooooooooo boring,” easy, but, “Wow, I actually have to think,” easy. It took me 7 1/2 minutes to complete the first puzzle, so I can’t imagine how long it would take me to do a devilish level puzzle 8O . Either I am stupid, or this app is really challenging!

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Tags: $.99, challenging, fun, Games, puzzle

iToons

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Lifestyle

User rating: (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Have you ever had that strange craving for your favorite comic, but not had a newspaper nearby? Or have you been stuck in a plane/train/car with nothing to do? Well if you love comics, then iToons is the app for you! At only $.99, this app developed by Brite systems Inc is a steal considering it has a library of 34 different comics ranging from Adam At Home to Ziggy. Although some of my favorite comics like Pearls Before Swine and Dilbert were missing from the list, there were many great ones like BC, Garfield, and Cathy.

The set up of the app is very simple and easy to use. You go into settings, and just flip the on/off switch next to the desired comics you want to read. I did have some problems with the app. Some of the comics were longer than the iPhone screen, so you had to scroll back and forth. It would have been better if the app could have made it so that you can view the comic panel by panel. That way you could slide to each panel as if viewing photos.

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Tags: $.99, fun, interesting