The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch
Top Shelf Apps for week of May 15, 2012New apps added every Tuesday! |
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Reviews
Quick Review: N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD (iPad)
Price: $9.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it
Replay Value: Very High
Pros:
Stunning graphics; fully customizable UI; great gameplay; local and online multiplayer deathmatch.
Cons:
Default UI is awkward (customize it!); nothing new over iPhone version.
Bottom Line:
N.O.V.A. HD is a stunning FPS (first person shooter) for iPad. While the default controls make playing the app on iPad seem incredibly unwieldy, customizing the layout in the options menu makes all the difference. If you enjoy the genre, are a fan of X-Box’s Halo series, or just love multiplayer deathmatching, N.O.V.A. HD is highly recommended.
Repurchase if you own the iPhone Version?
Only if you play a lot of multiplayer; the larger screen makes the experience much more enjoyable.
Fieldrunners for iPad
Price: $7.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it
Replay Value: High
Pros: Great graphics; fun gameplay; price includes all 5 maps; perfect for iPad's large screen
Cons: If you already own it for iPhone, there's nothing new here, content-wise.
Bottom Line: Fieldrunners is one of the premiere tower defenses apps for iPhone OS. Without a doubt, iPad's large, high resolution screen offers the best Fieldrunners experience, but if you already own Fieldrunners for iPhone, it's probably not worth the $7.
Re-Purchase if you own iPhone version: No
Flash Review: Robot Rampage
Price: $0.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Disappointing
Replay Value: Medium Low
Pros: Phenomenal graphics & lots of smashing
Cons: Way too repetitive!
Bottom Line: Unfortunately the stellar graphics aren’t enough to offset the limited 90 seconds of fresh gameplay before this survival-style app becomes ridiculously repetitive.
Similar to the arcade classic, Rampage, Robot Rampage is a 2d side-scroller where players get to smash their way across countless city blocks as a giant, extraterrestrial robot bent on Earth’s total annihilation. Players can punch, stomp, and blast city buildings to rubble, all while crushing the futile attempts at resistance by the armed forces.
While I’m a fan of most Origin 8 titles, Robot Rampage is not one of them. Admittedly, the app has some initial appeal due to its beautiful graphics, fun sound effects, and natural penchant for senseless destruction. But once you get past the surface, the game quickly loses its initial luster. In fact, most players will experience everything Robot Rampage has to offer in the first 90 seconds or so. And with no upgrades, environment changes, or new surprises, the game becomes needlessly repetitive and boring.
Personally, I can’t recommend Robot Rampage even at its $0.99 price point because there’s such a large selection of apps with so much content available at the same price.
Flash Review: ZombieSmash - Castle Defense Makes Room for Zombies
Price: $1.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it
Replay Value: Medium High
Pros: Good cartoon graphics; great animation, fast pace; huge array of weapons.
Cons: Difficulty ramps quickly; some game glitches; short
Bottom Line: If you like castle defense and zombies, think of the $1.99 price as a rental fee.
Zombie Smash is a castle defense game where you play Joey, a man trapped in a house with a bewildering array of weapons to call upon. Those weapons come in hand as your house is assaulted by wave after wave of well-animated zombies. The main defense is flicking the zombies away with your finger, but they are surprisingly tough and may take more than one flick to destroy. As the game progresses, the zombies do as well, becoming faster, more resistant to flicking, and even carrying guns and bombs. Increasingly, you’ll have to turn to Joey’s arsenal of weapons, such as wrecking balls, mines, various guns, and natural disasters like rolling boulders and meteor showers. If you can last the month (31 rounds), you’ll unlock hard mode, endless siege, and the sandbox – a place to test your smashing skills.
The game was a ton of fun. The zombies never end, the weapons keep gameplay from getting stale, and the animation of the zombies being smashed according to the manner of death is just unbelievable. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’re definitely going to love this game. In fact, its biggest downfall is that it’s so short, with only 31 rounds (one month for Joey) and after that, you unlock hard mode – the same game with tougher zombies. Outside campaign mode, the game has a sandbox to test your smashing skills and an endless siege mode to see how long you can last. The siege saves checkpoints every so often, so you don’t always have to start over. Though after playing through the entire game, you’ll probably feel that the siege takes too long to become difficult. Yet by far the biggest problems with this app include a gameplay mechanic flaw and weapons glitch. Since weapon power-ups are randomly given, and some enemies can only be killed with certain weapons, you may find yourself unable to survive. Being patient and trying again will usually solve that problem, but there’s another dilemma that isn’t so easily solved. Occasionally, the weapon slots will simply not respond, even with multiple attempts; it appears to be a bug that goes beyond the touch screen UI. Thankfully, occurrence is extremely rarely and the developers are still tweaking the app, so hopefully it will only be a temporary problem.
All in all, ZombieSmash is a great game, well designed and balanced, and I think most players will love it for the week it takes them to beat it.
Review: Battle of Puppets - It’s Not Over Until the Fat Puppet Sings!
Price: $1.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it!
Replay Value: High
Pros: Beautiful artwork; fun gameplay; good use of touchscreen; lots of content
Cons: No Multiplayer
Bottom Line: Battle of Puppets is a beautifully animated, simple, straightforward, and well-balanced castle vs. castle app, perfect for casual play, but with enough complexity to keep it interesting. Simply put: A must have for any fan of the genre.
If you think opera is boring, then you’ve obviously never played Battle of Puppets. Battle of Puppets is a beautifully animated castle vs. castle style app that pits five opera-themed armies against each other. Each of the puppet armies is led by a renowned opera heroine, such as Madama Butterfly, Carmen, or Valkiria, who grant their armies various special attributes.
For those not familiar with the castle vs. castle genre, basic gameplay consists of sending armies or individual units--each with a specific strength and weakness--to attack and destroy your opponent’s castle, all while defending your castle from similar attacks. The heart of the genre rests in discovering the proper strategy to win each unique battle.
The iPhone has seen a flood of these titles over the last year, but what separates Battle of Puppets from competitor apps is not any revolutionary re-imaginations of the genre, but instead a focus on optimizing and perfecting the castle vs castle experience for the iPhone. One of the first things players will notice as they begin their military campaign across the country side, is the care that went into creating the charmingly animated puppets and unique, cartoonish backdrops for each locale.
As the game progresses, players will begin to notice the nuance Battle of Puppets brings to the table, including the significance of the environment, such as day, night, hot, and cold, on the battlefield. In addition to the beautiful atmosphere, players can unlock unique touchscreen gestures called “professions” that give them quick access to special abilities on the battlefield, such as haste, stun, and repair just to name a few.
Overall, Battle of Puppets offers one of the best castle vs. castle experiences on the iPhone. It provides a beautiful and fun-filled castle vs. castle experience with plenty of content, and all optimized for the iPhone OS. In this reviewer’s opinion, the only thing this app is missing is a multiplayer mode. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is definitely an app you don’t want to miss.
Review: Grand Theft Auto - Chinatown Wars
Price: $9.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it!
Replay Value: Very High
Pros: Authentic GTA gameplay experience; Tons of content; impressive implementation; the same GTA game seen on DS and PSP; Half the price of DS and PSP version.
Cons: Eagle-eye view sometimes awkward. Virtual control-pad not as precise as other portable systems.
Bottom Line: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is one of the first major portable titles—if not the first—to arrive on DS, PSP, and iPhone without being watered down. If you’re a fan of GTA-style games or simply looking for a game with lots of content GTA: Chinatown Wars is a great deal. And for those of you not familiar with the series, it’s primarily meant for mature audiences. Don't say I didn't warn you!
The Grand Theft Auto series doesn’t need much of an introduction. It’s notoriously one of the crudest, most violent, profane, crime-filled video games series of all time, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is no exception. This game goes out of its way to earn its explicit 17+ rating and is definitely not meant for the squeamish.
First appearing for the Nintendo DS in early 2009 and later the Sony PSP, Chinatown Wars has made its way to iPhone less than a year after its initial release. And amazingly, this full-fledged version of the game hasn’t been dumbed down. In fact, the iPhone version manages to combine the touch screen elements taken from the DS with the single screen version from the PSP, creating for a great gameplay experience.
Just like one would expect from a GTA game, players take on the role of a criminal antihero caught in the downward whirlpool of the events surrounding him. Players will find themselves protecting turf, stealing cars, selling drugs, killing thugs, and dodging cops with the option to follow a compelling storyline or just sadistically rampage through the city.
The app uses a virtual on screen controller with analog stick and buttons that’s become standard on many iPhone games. The controls work reasonably well. That said, they’re probably the biggest drawback to the iPhone adaptation, lacking the same kind of precision control one would expect on a more conventional portable gaming system. This, however, is only a small setback in an otherwise awesome game.
Players will have many of the standard gadgets they’re used to from recent GTA games, including a slue of menu options accessible from your in-game PDA. The PDA allows players to read incoming emails (usually missions), access the Liberty City map, complete with GPS functionality and points of interest, view game stats such as “people killed,” review mission briefings, select radio stations, and so on.
Overall, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a major step forward for iPhone gaming. This app helps the iPhone to stand side-by-side the other big boys in portable gaming. In fact, the iPhone version holds a few advantages over its competitors. The most obvious is the price point. At $9.99 Chinatown Wars is half the price of the DS version or one-third the price of the PSP version. Next, the iPhone version is debatably the most portable version of the game, always there to play anywhere you might take your cell phone. But in the end, I think one of my favorite features of the iPhone version is the option to use a specified music playlist from your iPhone library as a radio station. There’s nothing like boosting cars, collecting on contracts, and dodging the fuzz along to your own custom soundtrack.
Video Review: OMG Pirates! - Get Your Ninja On!
Price: $1.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it!
Replay Value: Very High
Pros: Fun artwork; great gameplay, controls and combo system; high replay value.
Cons: Campaign mode is somewhat short and the plot line is lacking.
Bottom Line: OMG Pirates! is a highly enjoyable, fast-action, survival hack’n’slash. The fun cartoonish animation and simple controls give this app very unique appeal. If you’re a fan of Zombieville USA, this is a must!
OMG Pirates! If this exclamation sounds familiar, then you just might be a ninja. Or playing the newest app from the makers of Zombieville USA.
OMG Pirates! uses the same unique artwork style and simple gameplay mechanics that helped make Zombieville so popular. And yet despite the few similarities, OMG Pirates! manages to feel like its own game, and not just a cookie cutter clone of Zombieville.
At its core, OMG Pirates! is a slice and dice survival game that manages to effectively integrate some elements of classic sidescroller and RPG gameplay. If you haven't guessed by now, you play the role of a lone ninja battling an endless army of... OMG... pirates!
On first launch, there is only one gameplay mode available, campaign; however beating campaign mode unlocks survival mode as well as the “hard” difficulty setting for campaign mode. The control scheme is well laid out and simple to use, primarily consisting of a virtual d-pad, attack button, and jump button. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity; a variety of special moves and combo chains can be unleashed once a player masters the timing of the game. Additionally, there’s also a super-move button that gradually charges to unleash devastating super attacks.
In campaign mode, players will battle through nine missions, each with about three sub-stages of play. At the end of specific missions, players will have to fight fun and unique boss battles to progress. There’s a very loose storyline that connects the various stages together, but it seems little more than a perfunctory addition. As players slay pirates, they gradually fill the ninja’s experience bar, increasing his skill level, and each new level brings the ninja specific new moves, power-ups, or abilities.
Survival mode is fairly straightforward and self-explanatory. The goal is to kill as many pirates as possible before they kill you. A tally is kept at the top of the screen. One major improvement OMG Pirates! has over Zombieville is the inclusion of multiple types of enemies, each with their own unique look, including all of the bosses.
Overall, I found OMG Pirates! extremely fun and enjoyable with tons of replay value. In fact, this pick up and play app offers a surprisingly large amount of depth. My biggest gripe about the app is that I’d like to see a much larger campaign; it took me less than 2 hours to push through the entire campaign on the normal difficulty setting. That said, with the inclusion of a survival mode, the game has plenty of replay value to keep me coming back for more and to make me feel like I got my money’s worth.
Things I’d personally like to see in future updates include new stages, villains, storyline, and ninja levels (even if only through downloadable content). I’d also love to see a multiplayer option for both co-op and versus play.
If you’ve been looking for a good action game, OMG Pirates! is sure to entertain, especially if you’re a fan of Zombieville USA.
Review: Super K.O. Boxing 2 A Real Knock Out
Price: $4.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love It
Replay Value: A Lot
Pros: Excellent game play. Lot's of replay value. Great graphics and sound. Multiple control schemes.
Cons: Sometimes the controls are a little unresponsive. Some of the patterns are really difficult to figure out.
Bottom Line: An excellent addition to the out of this world, unrealistic, pattern based boxing games in the same vein as the Punch Out Series
The lights come up on the ring, the gigantic opponent enters the ring, and then Little Mac... er KO Kid enters the ring. In case you missed that reference, Super K.O. Boxing 2 is basically a Super Punch Out clone though I am not implying that this is a bad thing in any way, just giving you a point of reference. In fact, Super K.O. Boxing 2 does an excellent job of cloning Super Punch Out so much so that I would consider it on par with Super Punch Out.
For those of you that still have no idea what I'm talking about, the game play of Super K.O. Boxing 2 goes as follows. You play the part of the boxer known as KO Kid who's goal is to take the title in three different circuits. To do this you will have to box several different boxers in each circuit, each with their own strengths and flaws. Unlike most newer boxing games, this one takes place on the 2D realm. You won't be circling around your opponent, but rather always facing them with limited dodging ability. In your arsenal of moves you can punch in the stomach, punch in the head, block, dodge left and right, and perform a super punch.
Of course the game play is not as simple as just pummeling your opponent in to the ground with punches, but rather each opponent has a pattern that leaves them generally with stone wall solid defense except at key points during combos or after their combos have completed. Some of the patterns are really easy to figure out, like the opponent will raise their hands or always punch 3 times. Other opponents are more difficult like looking for a small smile before they attack that makes them vulnerable.
As far as presentation goes, this game looks and sounds really good, almost exactly like I would expect a Super Punch Out clone to look. Really big, crisp looking opponents along with the accompanying sounds. There are four different control schemes you can use ranging from a button interface to a tilting interface. I've used the button and the zone interface and both worked really well only lagging occasionally. You may even find that some control schemes are better for different opponents.
In addition to the normal circuit game play, there are two additional modes of play. The first is a versus mode where you just replay the fight with that person. The other mode is a challenge mode where you have to defeat your opponent under a given set of conditions i.e. TKO the opponent in the first round without getting hit or using your super punch. As far as length goes, if you like the game you will probably spend at least 10 hours with this game if not a lot more.
Overall, I really like this game and feel that it is worth the price of entry considering to buy the original versions of the game would cost anywhere from $5 to $10. Of course I like Punch-Out style games so I might be a little biased.
Review: Farm Frenzy Fun
Price: $0.99
App Store Link: Full / Lite
Verdict: Love It
Replay Value: High
Pros: Lots of gameplay and achievements; great for long or short play.
Cons: Inconsistent touch controls (e.g. a tap can plant grass instead of trapping a bear)
Bottom Line: This addictive game cleverly builds upon typical time management games by allowing the player to strategize towards each level’s goal, allowing for better scores, times, and outcomes. While the touch controls could be improved, this game will provide countless hours of fun.
In Farm Frenzy, the player is in control of maintaining a farm and is presented with different objectives at each level. The beginning levels start off simple by only requesting that you purchase a set number of geese and collecting a set number of eggs. To keep the geese alive you must plant grass for them to eat, which in turn uses up your water supply that can only be refilled by paying a small fee. You can earn additional money by selling the goods you collect.
As the game escalates, you’ll find that eggs are needed to create flour, which is needed to create bread, and so on. The player is able to collect goods and keep them in a storehouse, which has limited space. To empty the storehouse and earn money, you send your goods away in a truck and after a few seconds the truck will return with your money.
Upgrades are available for purchase; these may be required in the objective of the level, or simply help you make more of an item quicker, allow for a larger storehouse, etc. To add a challenge to the game, sometimes you’ll hear a roar, soon followed by a bear dropping from the sky in order to attack your livestock or possibly spoil your goods. To prevent this, players can tap on the bear several times to lock him in a cage. If you have enough storage space, you can send the bear to the storehouse to later sell for some extra cash. If you don’t have the space, the bear will eventually run off screen.
This is particularly where I found the touch controls to be frustrating at times. While trying to cage the bear by tapping the screen, I would instead plant a patch of grass (which requires a similar tapping gesture), and the bear would go free to kill my livestock. Occasionally, tapping inconsistencies also caused the unintended purchase of various upgrades (an expensive mistake). While this is something that should be addressed, it did not affect the game enough to make it unplayable. Also, if this happened frequently during a level, you can always restart that level or even play it again afterwards and keep what rewards you did earn. Each level typically lasts about 5 minutes, but it can be as short or as long as you choose.
I found the game to be quite addictive, and I really appreciate how much there is to achieve. Not only can you earn the standard type trophies, but in order to proceed to higher levels, you have to earn enough points to purchase upgrades which will be offered in-game once that level is unlocked.
Ultimately, I would definitely recommend Farm Frenzy to anyone looking for a twist on typical time management games and appreciates long game-life. The cute graphics are entertaining and will be sure to keep you in a frenzy to play more. This app will definitely remain on my devise for a long time to come!
Review: Whack A Mole… er Monkey in Paradise Monkeys
Price: $3.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love It
Replay Value: Some
Pros: Very high quality. A lot of variations on the enemies. Two bonus mini games.
Cons: Story slightly lacking. Can get repetitive. Bannana currency doesn't seem to add up fast enough. Have to play to either obtain bonus games or play to win. Vague/missing instructions on what the monkeys do.
Bottom Line: If you like whack-a-mole style games this version is very well done with just enough variation to make it interesting.
In Paradise Monkeys you are a monkey tasked with saving all the bannanas from the evil Dracula Monkey. In order to do this you'll need to pass through 9 worlds of whack-a-mole style gameplay. The 9 worlds are broken up into 2 different kinds of gameplay, standard play and boss fight. Of course the game probably wouldn't be that interesting if it was just simple whack-a-mole so to liven things up every few levels they add a different kind of monkey for you to beat up on. Some monkeys just pop up and go down (costing you a half a heart if you don't whack them), some monkeys take multiple hits to kill, some monkeys give you items when they die like hearts or tokens, some have random effects, some will attack you, and almost all monkeys have a state where you can't attack them or you'll lose some life.
At first the game can seem overwhelming, but once you figure out what you can hit and what you should avoid, the game becomes a lot more enjoyable. In addition there is a store you can go to to spend your tokens. You can purchase rings that do more damage meaning you'll hit the multi-hit monkeys less. There are extra hearts you can buy. There are multiple mini-games that can be purchased. Unfortunately because of the way the game plays, unless you take a lot of chances on the random monkeys, you won't have enough tokens to buy the power ups and the bonus games. Fortunately you only have to buy the bonus games once, and you can make enough tokens by the second boss without having to purchase power ups.
This game has really good graphics, good sound effects, and music. The hit detection is spot on. You can really tell the extra polish that the creators of this game have put in to it.
The mini-games aren't overly fun in my opinion, I would much rather play the main game or the time attack mode that emulates the main game, but they do provide a nice break from the regular game.
If you play the game through from beginning to end, along with unlocking the mini-games you'll probably play a total of 5ish hours. It may also be a game that you really like and come back to every now and then to kill some time.