The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch

Video Review: Boggle Attempts to Shake Things Up

posted on September 22, 2009 by Matt Rome in Reviews, Video Reviews, Games, Word Games

Well, it’s about time.  Over a year after the launch of the App Store, the classic word game Boggle has officially graced the iPhone with its presence.  Overall, Boggle is a fairly polished word game app; unfortunately for EA, it may be too little, too late.

For those not familiar, the concept of Boggle is fairly straightforward.  Players shake and roll a set of alphabet dice into a 4 by 4 square grid.  Players then have 3 minutes to make as many word combinations as possible from the grid by connecting surrounding letters.

The app is exactly what you might expect from a Boggle app developed by EA.  Polished graphics, fun gameplay, great replay value, and you even get to physically shake up the alphabet dice.  Of course, when it comes to word games, none of these features are new to the iPhone OS, so let’s talk about what sets Boggle apart from other word apps.

First, Boggle offers a new advanced mode.  In this mode, whenever a player discovers a new word (by dragging or tapping over the desired letters), the first and last letter switch places on the grid.  While this might sound like a small detail, this new dynamic can actually add a lot of strategy to the game.  It vastly increases the number of possible word choices and forces players to plan their moves in advance if they want to maximize their score.

To keep things interesting, the app also features a challenge mechanic, which allows players to send, receive, and keep track of challenges based off any game board they play, as well as a list of track-able  achievements, such as longest word, most frequently used letter, etc.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure these few new features will be enough for Boggle to compete with the cheaper, similar, and more experienced titles already for sale by smaller independent developers.

Review: Zynga’s Word Scramble Will Leave You at a Loss for Words

posted on July 17, 2009 by Tom Reyes-Cairo in Reviews, Free Apps, Games, Word Games

While the point of the game is very simple, Zynga has presented it elegantly.  There are two ways to select the letters as you spell.  You can simply tap each letter in succession and then tap the checkmark near the top once your word is spelled; or, if you’re a speedster like I am, then you can also drag your finger across the letters and when you take your finger off the screen the game checks the word.

The game itself is extremely well developed.  The sounds are helpful and unobtrusive.  The visuals are polished, but not gaudy.  The real majesty of the game, however, comes out in the multiplayer options.

As previously stated, Zynga has a lot of experience in social gaming and this comes across with their included multiplayer features.  On the main screen, there are four options: Play Solo, Play and Pass, a new Challenge mode, and Play Online.  Also included on the main screen, you will find the standings where you can see how you rate against some of your friends.  There’s even an option that allows you to connect to your Facebook account and keep score against your friends who play there.

The Play and Pass mode allows you to pick up to 4 players to play on the same Scramble board.  After each turn, the player swaps off the device to the next one in line for their attempt.  After each attempt is through, the game shows everyone’s score along with the list of words found and words missed.

The Challenge mode allows you to send challenges to other friends with the App, as long as you’re connected to the Internet.  It also keeps a running tab of all the games you have finished in Challenge mode.  High scores in Challenge mode also count towards your standings.

The Play Online mode pits you up against a much broader audience on the Internet.  This option shows the standings live while you play, so you can actively compete against others.

Overall, it’s these multiplayer features that have kept me coming back to the game.  Naturally competitive people will enjoy the idea of playing against their friends through one of the many modes offered by the game.  Those who seek a greater challenge can take the game online and play against hundreds of other players.  Don’t let the price fool you; Zynga’s offering is far more complete than many others of its type that you would have to pay to play.  Word Scramble is the most well rounded word game I’ve found on the App Store to date, and you’ll see why when you download it.