Way back in 2000 when I first started playing The Sims, the big joke was that Sims players were wasting their time living virtual lives when they could be living their own. That stigma faded over time -- once MMORPGs made it big, there were bigger time wasters to fry.
But The Sims FreePlay [Free] hearkens back to those early days in more ways than one. For one thing, it's more like the original than any of the other mobile titles. For another, this game plays in real time. That means when you take the time to send your Sim off to shower, you really could be doing it yourself. Never before has a game given me such an uncomfortable awareness of my own time-wasting -- but the returns make it feel worthwhile.
I’m a big fan of top-down arcade racers. The short tracks, speed boosts, and tight races create a kind of intensity that I find hard to replicate in other, more traditional racing games. Enter Mini Motor Racing [$1.99 / HD], the latest from The Binary Mill, and a good example of why I love top-down racers. Everything from the visuals to the great presentation and large amount of content outweigh the physics issues and occasional stability problems, making this a highly recommended game for racer fans.
The first thing you’ll notice when you jump into a race in Mini Motor Racing is the high quality visuals. Both the vehicle models as well as the actual tracks look great and it all runs at a fast framerate. Added touches like weather conditions (the rain looks great) do a good job making the game come alive. In addition, Mini Motor Racing also features a rocking soundtrack that I thought added to the feel of the game. All of these elements combine for a smooth and engaging presentation that simply adds to the overall experience while playing.
Back in November, we took an early look at SummitX Snowboarding [99¢] from Com2uS and Free Range Games. Since then, the game's been released, so now the rest of us can hit the virtual slopes for $99¢. After investing some time into the final release of the game I've reached the same conclusion as our preview: - I like what see.
There's six different mountains to conquer, including 36 different multiple-branching down-hill runs. The first slope is 'Glacier' which has six runs and you can unlock the other peaks - like Mt. Payne and Angel Peak - by winning medal points (3 points for gold, 2 for silver or 1 point for bronze). You can choose which valley to enter and each route contains different gates, with blue for time bonuses and red for a score multiplier, so it's worth exploring.
After choosing to be male or female, you start with $1000 and can earn money in the game, which is handy for buying tricks, such as the ability to tilt the device for air-control. There's a decent assortment of tricks available, such as flips, rolls and tail grabs. Doing tricks earns time bonuses and points as you fly down the mountain towards the finish.
When you leave the ground, six new buttons conveniently appear on-screen for performing tricks. You can press one button for a simple trick, two buttons for a trickier trick or hold and slide your finger to extend the move, for the trickiest of tricks. Two landing buttons appear when you're about to hit the snow and these can be pressed to level-out the board for a safe landing, or to stop a spin, roll or flip. These trick buttons only appear when needed and then disappear to keep the screen uncluttered, so you have a clear view of the terrain.
The main navigational controls are rather unusual. A two-thumbed split steering-wheel is used to turn left or right. For example, to turn left sharply:Â The left thumb moves down, while the right right thumb moves up simultaneously like using a virtual steering wheel of sorts. This control scheme wasn't immediately intuitive to me, however, I persevered and after five minutes I was carving the snow quite happily. So, potentially be prepared for a little practice time at the start.
Some highlights of the game include finding massive jumps on the side of the course or jumping off a cliff, onto a small snow-coated plateau, then immediately off a ramp for some big air. There's also caves and a deep rocky ravine to jump across, with a turning landing required on the other side. These "hell yeah" moments really add to the experience and make this game a lot of fun.
You can spend your game money on a variety of snowboards, for improved performance. There's six decks, ranging from the entry-level "basix" up to the "pro board". Each board has different attributes for air-time, air-control, acrobatics, speed and toughness. Plus, there's over 20 skins to buy: Perhaps you want a zombie ape on your deck, a tiger shark or a stylish green cyclops.
Your runs are scored based on tricks performed and time taken. SummitX connects to the Com2uS gameHub, but pleasingly, it also supports Game Center for leader-boards and 15 achievements and games are automatically saved to iCloud. The music is great, featuring over 20 licensed rock soundtracks, which play in a slow-motion effect when you're aerial. Alternatively, you can pump your own iTunes playlist. There are in-app purchases (IAP) available, to unlock features, however so far it hasn't felt intrusive or necessary which is good as Com2uS have been criticized for heavy-handed IAP in the past.
SummitX Snowboarding only has one game mode and I haven't seen any other boarders to race, however, this is a cool looking and sounding snowboarding game, with peaks, runs, boards, skins and tricks to unlock, plus a variety of routes down each run, which ensures there's plenty of replay value. Unfortunately, after downloading their update v1.01 and installing it on both devices, I lost my medal points and progress, which has dented my otherwise positive impression. If you're downloading the game for the first time, this obviously won't be an issue for you.
As far as premises go, two dogs that are tied together by the tongue is a bit of an oddity. But on a platform that regularly sees us flinging birds at pigs or feeding candy to monsters, it's best not to ask too many questions. Besides, Tongue Tied's [$1.99] adorably vacant duo Mick and Ralph are so much better together than they could be apart.
Their predicament sets them up for all sorts of physics-based platforming challenges. You can slingshot them off each other, or send them flying in circles. One can hang by the tongue and swing below while the other walks. It's your job to shoot them over hazards or into tasty bones and keep them from harm, because they'll just keep on walking inexorably to their deaths. These dogs are really, really dumb. The game's developer Mojo Bones, on the other hand, is a very smart team. They've created a game that's both charming and challenging, packed it with replayability and promised a year's worth of free updates. Hard to say no to that.
Every iOS game has a story behind its development, but the one behind MinoMonsters [$0.99] may have been one you've already heard if you pay attention to iOS news. Like that the guys that founded the company that made the game are some of the youngest game designers to score an investment of this size for their project ( a cool million, to be exact), but they have some meaty people on board too, such as TJ Murphy, who co-founded the Social Gaming Network. In other words, MinoMonsters has a hell of a pedigree. And with that kind of story behind it, well, it's hard not to expect one hell of a game.
Luckily, the final product is pretty stellar. MinoMonsters operates off the Pokemon strategy, as it puts you in the role of an (unseen) hero who collects adorable creatures and trains them to fight on your behalf as you progress through a lush world populated by a series of different stages. The game looks like a comic book in action, and is absolutely gorgeous to play -- definitely a standout when it comes to what's on the App Store. There are tons of cute titles out there, but MinoMonsters looks and plays like a really handsome action RPG. Since I love that genre, I was instantly hooked on the combination of monster training and exploring.
English Country Tune [$4.99] is a game that's hard to describe. It's a puzzle game, one loosely based off the original block-pushing mechanics of the long-standing Sokoban. Its puzzles arrange themselves in complicated 3D designs, except that sometimes they're two-dimensional. The goal is to free certain blocks from a prison of others, or maybe it's to put all the balls in their holes, or perhaps it's to paint every free tile in a level. That changes. Sometimes it's hard, other times it's easy, and not necessarily in a linear order.
Here's what I can say with some certainty. Increpare'sEnglish Country Tune has made the transition from desktop to mobile boldly and without compromise. It's a game that will stump even the most experienced puzzle gamer at times, and it's absolutely inflexible about easing you past those difficult points. It's not a game for the easily stymied, but it will do an outstanding job of challenging puzzle experts.
Bejeweled [$.99], the new stand-alone version of Bejeweled proper on the App Store, is as good as you'd expect. After all, it's Bejeweled -- the same insanely colorful, sometimes hypnotizing, and always creatively gifted match-three that has ignited the creation of a legion of pretender titles over the years. This Bejeweled in particular doesn't do anything that will blow your mind. For the most part, it's simply the core experience translated well to iPhone and iPod Touch. Not that I'm complaining about that aspect.
The thing that always gets me about Bejeweled is how mesmerizing the puzzle mechanic is, and the artful things the game's creators do to bolster this effect. This version's new Classic mode kinda encapsulates what I'm saying here: at the top, it's a gauntlet style mode that has you matching until no other moves remain, but the matching itself so darn hypnotic, you do everything in your power to ensure that you keep the game moving. But then the mode also zips you between new backgrounds and shows off some pyrotechnic match bonuses that radically change up the play.
For example, matching more than three of a gem can net you a sizzling gem that ignites gems in its area or an electrical gem that zaps entire columns of gems. You move with flow without really thinking about these, but they change the pace and the progression of an entire puzzle in satisfying ways. Getting these bonuses is almost a meta-game, as you subconsciously realize that they're so integral to keeping Classic moving.
Bejeweled also has a mode called Diamond Mine which pairs the core play with a funky digging mechanic. Underneath the board is dirt. Matching above the dirt clears some of it. Some spots have special bonuses, but a timer keeps you from scheming too heavily.
Again, this is one of those neat twists on the formula. You have to play fast and loose, but also with a specific goal outside of straight-up matching. The explosive bonuses are just as integral here, as they'll rid the board temporarily of massive chunks of dirt. I like this one in particular: the points you'll earn are ridiculously high, which gives a certain sense of momentum to Diamond Mine that Classic doesn't have, and the timer is a devilish addition that keeps the pressure satisfyingly amped up.
Zen Mode, on the hand ... it's the oddest of the trio of modes in this version. It takes the formula, spits it out into a regular match, and then tells you to play at your leisure. It also sports a variety of "zen" options, such as ambient effects like crickets and lets you even pick various mantras to display on the screen.
It comes off as silly, and, well, it is. I don't get it and probably never will. I just don't see how it could possibly achieve the goal of making you feel like you're sitting in a meditation room blazed out of your mind. This is Bejeweled, you know?
And while we're exploring negatives, it's notable that Bejeweled does not ship with Game Center support -- the game's leaderboards are filled with fake entries and you'll never see what your friends have scored. It's a weird, bad decision not to include this.
Zen and the lack of Game Center work against the game as a whole, but taking it all in, they're forgivable issues. Bejeweled is Bejeweled, and that means it's a great match-three puzzle game that goes above and beyond what other match-threes do. The play is as mesmerizing as ever and the game's two other modes really support it and add to it in meaningful ways. If you're into the franchise or not, give this a look.
Kinectimalson Kinect is an experiential game that does a solid job of luring its users into forming an emotional bond with its assortment of on-screen, rascally pets. As an adult, you see why the user's relationship to the pet is so important: without one, the entire experience falls apart. If you aren't clicking with your animal, you don't want to pet it, you especially don't want to get up and interact with it, and you sure as heck don't want to do the game's mindless assortment of mini-games alongside it.
Little ones, from what I understand, generally respond to its adorable baby cheetahs, its equally adorable Bengal tigers, and its other scarily expressive animals. When the game asks, kids enthusiastically move about and shout and jump, and reach to the TV.
That's well and good, but now Kinectimals has made the jump to iOS. Obviously, the Kinect hook has been dropped with this particular version. So, this begs the question: does the game and its, er, magic still work?
Stretched [99¢] is a new physics-based slingshot-platformer from Chillingo, which has been receiving praise in our discussion thread. The objective is to fling a ball between various slingshots, collecting as many bubbles from each level as possible, before reaching the exit portal. There's no time limit or restriction on the number of turns, so there's no hurry, but each time you fling yourself you need to land safely, as there's no ground or safety net.
The best feature of Stretched is that new gameplay elements are constantly being introduced as you progress through the 80+ levels and 4 worlds (Sunrise, Monochrome, Misty and Desert). Each world has it's own features and music and it's often a pleasant surprise to discover what comes next.
Games that tie in to major properties are sometimes, shall we say, a little lacking. So you might be tempted to think that Assassin's Creed Recollection [99¢] is just your average cash-in, perhaps a standard collectable card game with images of franchise heroes Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze slapped on the cards. You can stop thinking that right about now, because this game is something far more interesting.
That's not to say it's without its problems -- Ubisoft has been chasing down some big-time bugs since the game was released -- but Assassin's Creed Recollection is more than just another coat of paint on the traditional CCG. It takes the formula real time, pitting you and your opponent against the clock as well as each other.
The Mr. series by developer Ponos has been a favorite of casual gaming fans for several years now (and has been covered by us severaltimesbefore). Mr. Oops!! [99¢], the latest title in the series, looks to continue the popularity of its predecessors by offering the same approachable controls, frenetic gameplay, and leaderboard-based competition that made previous games successful. As far as casual titles are concerned, Mr. Oops!! succeeds at preserving the fun we’ve had with earlier titles and is a game worthy of recommendation.
If you’ve never played a Mr. game before, each title centers around a simple premise, easy controls, and a difficulty curve that ramps up quickly. In the case of Mr. Oops!!, players must maneuver their Mr. stick figure across a checkerboard-like environment in the hopes of avoiding the weapons being launched down the grid. Also accompanying the game is a rocking musical score that sets the tone well for the game.
Hello. My name is Cassandra and I have a problem. I'm a recovering trading card game-holic. I used to play them obsessively - just ask my wallet. But I've been getting better. I've been clean for a while but I have doubts that it is going to last. There's a new game in town and it's smart, sexy and exotic. Meet Cabals: The Card Game [Free], ladies and gentlemen, and kiss your productivity good-bye.
Developed by Finnish Kyy Games, Cabals has all the necessary hallmarks of the genre: exceptional artwork, warring factions, creatures to summon, resources to manage, booster packs - you name it, they've got it.
The world of Cabals: The Card Game is a familiar one. It's our own, after all. The key players here are the Cabals, secret societies comprised of witches and steam punk magicians, of Russians and alchemists and faerie pigs. As is often the case with anything eldritch in nature, these Cabals don't get along too well. This, obviously enough, is where you come in. You're one of the vanguards and you will fight for the glory of your faction. Or something like that.
Earlier this week, Warner Bros. and Mortal Kombat developer NeatherRealm Studios surprised everybody by dropping Batman Arkham City Lockdown [$5.99], an iOS spinoff of the critically acclaimed console series, into the App Store. Batman Arkham City Lockdown is a streamlined take on its console big brother games, placing you in the role of Batman as he faces off against a stable of Gotham City's infamous villains in one-on-one battles. The presentation and overall "Batman-ness" of the game are absolutely fantastic, and although the combat is a bit rigid and flat, Arkham City Lockdown offers a fun mobile version of The Dark Knight's superhero escapades.
Immediately upon starting up the game, you're thrust into a fight with one of the Joker's thugs which acts as a tutorial in the ways of combat. The controls are fairly straightforward: Tapping the screen allows you to dodge an incoming blow, swiping the screen left or right throws those respective punches, swiping up does an uppercut, and swiping down just when an enemy is about to strike does a deflection move resulting in a dizzied opponent.
We've beenkeepingtabs on Paradox Interactive’s Defenders of Ardania [$4.99 / Free] since its initial unveiling way back in February. While Defenders boasts beautiful artwork and a decent amount of content (including multiplayer), the majority of attention is centered on its gameplay, which attempts to move beyond the typical tower defense experience with some new and interesting ideas. Overall, despite some minor concerns with the UI and other areas, Defenders of Ardania is an excellent addition to the tower defense genre and is a must-try for any fan.
One of the first things you’ll notice when playing are the gorgeous visuals. The artwork showcases a variety of fantastical locales and certainly looks as if the developers paid extra attention to setting the scene for the entirety of the campaign. The actual units and towers look a little out of place, but I think that’s mostly a credit to the attention paid to the backdrops. Of course, heightened visuals aren’t going to necessarily make or break a tower defense game, but well done efforts deserve credit nonetheless.
Did you love shooting galleries as a kid? Ever pretend that you were a Wild West sheriff? Have you ever rationalized killing hundreds of people by pretending that they’re just plywood target practice cutouts? If you answered yes to at least one of the above, you are going to love McGyro [99¢]!
McGyro is a first-person shooter that utilizes your device’s internal gyroscope to aim at bad guys. You play as Sheriff McGyro (originally leading me to hope that this was some kind of Blazing Saddles/MacGyver hybrid; alas, no), a small town Wild West law enforcement officer who can’t handle the idea of killing actual living things, so he envisions them as plywood cutouts instead. (Kind of like when people tell you to imagine the audience is naked before you give a speech, but with more murdering and less nudity.)
Way back in 2000 when I first started playing The Sims, the big joke was that Sims players were wasting their time living virtual lives when they could be living their own. That stigma faded over time -- once MMORPGs made it big, there were bigger time wasters to fry.
Back in November, 
Bejeweled [$.
Kinectimals 
Did you love shooting galleries as a kid? Ever pretend that you were a Wild West sheriff? Have you ever rationalized killing hundreds of people by pretending that they’re just plywood target practice cutouts? If you answered yes to at least one of the above, you are going to love McGyro [
