The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch
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Reviews
Review: Zooloretto: Animal Fun for the Whole Family… Really!
Price: $4.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Like it
Replay Value: Very High
Pros: Cute animal graphics, great tutorial (suggested), and easy for anyone to play
Cons: When playing against the computer, you’ll always be the first player to make a move, which can drastically change strategy, it should incorporate Bluetooth for multi-player instead of Pass ‘n Play only, and a little pricy at $4.99
Bottom Line: Zooloretto is a unique, family board game that is relaxing to play yet requires strategy and planning in order to do well. While it may be a little pricy, it will entertain for hours.
The goal of Zooloretto is to achieve more visitors than your opponents by carefully planning the location and number of your animals and vendor stands. In each round, the player tries to collect matching sets of animals. However, each of your 3 starting enclosures can only hold so many animals and only one kind of animal. The player loses a point for every extra animal collected and stored in the barn.
Each round consists of several turns. At each turn, the player can do one of three options: Add a tile to a delivery truck (the number of delivery trucks correspond directly to the number of players), choose a truck of items to add to their zoo, or carry out a money action. Players turn over tiles that can reveal an animal, a vending stall, or money. These tiles are placed on one of the trucks, each with three slots. When ready, the player chooses a truck of items to place in their zoo. Strategy comes in to play by selecting trucks with items that you need or even perhaps taking items that your opponent might need to take the lead. The goal is to collect the exact number of a certain animal to fill each area. A round is completed once each player has accepted a truck of tiles.
Money is used to move animals from one pen to another, buy overstock animals from other players, and purchase an expansion in order to collect more animals. Vendor stands can be placed around the zoo to earn extra visitors.
To add a little challenge, if a female and a male animal of the same kind are added to an enclosure, they will produce a baby. While many times the freebie animal will be just what you need to fill up your enclosure, if the space is already full, you’ll be forced to put the extra animal in the barn, therefore counting against your total score.
There are only two problems I saw with the game. One, when playing against the computer, you will always take the first turn. If a player could choose their starting position (or if chosen randomly), it would add more strategy to the game and mix things up a bit. The second problem I found is pass ‘n play is the only option for multi-player. Because the game requires many turns of switching back and forth, I’m hoping they will add a Bluetooth and/or Wi-fi option.
All in all, Zooloretto is a well-thought-out game. The drag and drop controls make the game a breeze especially in contrast to the physical board game itself. In addition, as you play games you earn points that unlock other characters and animals. The developers have even added fun trivia about animals for those who like to learn while they play! I would definitely suggest going through the tutorial the first time around to make sure you understand all the features of the game. It is evident that the developers tried and succeeded at making this a game for all ages, including both children and adults. While it is a little pricy, it will provide many hours of fun for the whole family!
Oregon Trail Review
Price: $5.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Like It
Replay Value: Medium-Low
Oregon Trail is a iPhone OS platform remake of the classic educational computer game (I personally remember playing the original version on the Apple II). This title might hold a bid of nostalgia for some gamers, taking them back to their elementary school days, and it's safe to say the game has evolved significantly since then. The graphics and gameplay are far superior. Gameloft did an excellent job incorporating the touch and tilt controls. And yet all this is done without sacrificing the classic feel of the original
Players take on the role of a mid-nineteenth century family living as pioneers and traveling the famous Oregon Trail. Players must choose from 3 different professions when the game begins--the first of several significant choices players are forced to make on their journey. The purpose of the game is to survive the journey with as few casualties as possible, but many unforeseen events make that harder than it sounds. As the game progresses, players compete in several different mini games to keep gameplay fresh and much more interesting than the original Oregon Trail. Some of these games include, hunting, berry picking, fishing, gold sifting, telegraph sending, with a few more surprises along the way. Gameplay is mainly solid except for long loading times between almost every scene--a setback that might deter some less patient gamers.
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Developer Video:
What I'd like to see in future updates: Faster loading times; increased replay value; a lower price tag.
The replay value for this game might be somewhat limited as the main story remains similar for every journey. That said, the initial play through value is fairly long and there are several elements that might motivate some to try the journey a second or third time (i.e. trying the different professions, etc.)
My recommendation for this title is somewhat complicated. First, I think it's a pretty solid choice for any person who is a fan of the original game. Next, keeping in mind this is technically an educational title, I think it might be a good purchase for a younger audience (say middle school; that is if the load times don't cause the kiddies to lose interest). However, as far as the casual gamer goes, if you're unfamiliar with the original, you may or may not find yourself put off by this game. It's not the most action-packed, fast-paced game you'll ever play, but it can be fun to create a family and see which members survive, which die of illness, and which get carried off by wild animals. Personally, as a fan of the original, I found the title to be very polished and enjoyable, even at the steep $5.99 price tag.