Space Junk Review

Space Junk is at heart an Asteroids game accompanied by great vector visuals, similar to that of Geometry Wars.

The music and sounds accompany the games great visuals delightfully well, giving a nice blend of retro and modern gaming.  If you like old arcade shooters then you will undoubtedly love this game.  There are a lot of tactical moves and power ups to keep you dodging and shooting your way through waves of junk.  The games levels and enemies are varied enough to keep you playing for a good while.

I was immersed heavily in the game for a good thirty minutes before I even thought about anything else.  Blasting asteroids, telescopes, dogs and the other items within the junk horde is superb.  The way in which each one blasts apart in sparky vibrancy is brilliant complete with a superb sound effect.

Despite Asteroids being a classic I never was very good at it and I found it hard to enjoy.  Due to this I thought that Space Junk was going to offer the same levels of frustration.  I was happy to be proved wrong, whether it is the bright colours or the silly objects, Space Junk had me hooked.  It is well worth the purchase.

A great, vibrant and addictive shooter  5/5

iSquares Review

iSquares is a dodging game in which you drag your black square and try to avoid the red squares.

There have been games like this on the ipod before and there will be more to come.  iSquares offers nothing new, apart from its abstract look  I use the term abstract nicely because I would like to think that there is a deeper meaning, a feeling that is supposed to be evoked, rather than the games designer just being that lazy.  The graphics are as basic as you can get.

The game lasts on average less than a minute and is simple yet addictive like most good ipod games.  There are power ups to boring a little excitement to the game play.  iSquares offers no alternate modes or unlockables but it does support GameCenter.

While this is far from the pinnacle of ipod gaming it is good fun and it does entertain for a good few runs.  After time it gets boring and stale but then it offers nothing new to keep you playing.

iSquares is a light basic game that will entertain for a little while 3/5.

iSlash Review

When I first discovered iSlash I got pretty excited, as I soon realised it had the same principles as the arcade game Qix that I loved playing as a child.  In Qix and iSlash the aim is to cut the surface area into smaller and smaller pieces without drawing a line through any of the objects bouncing around inside.

The innovation with iSlash is of course the touch screen aspect.  The lines are now slashes drawn with your finger, therefore making it have a feudal Japanese style theme, because clearly Japanese Ninjas would be the only people capable of slashing such items.   It does work with the game but I personally feel it is a cheap move, the go to themes are either Ninjas or Zombies and both have been done to death.  Still it is only a theme and it is pretty slight as the objects could be anything and it would play the same.

The slicing much like in Fruit Ninja, makes you feel like you are in total control, the slashing is fluid and easy to manipulate.  Against the wooden backdrop of the level the game looks superb and brings something actually very basic to a whole new level.  It allows for you to become immersed into the environment.  However this immersion is necessary in order for you to concentrate enough to slice through the wood avoiding the throwing stars, whilst at the same time keeping them all contained within the same area.

The game takes both the players maximum level of patience and speed in order to complete all 80+ levels.  New content and star types have also been released in an update and more will follow in good time I am sure.  While having so many levels at your disposal is nice, the game does not let you skip a level if it is too frustrating.  This aspect did make me stop playing the game for a while as a few of the levels are very tricky. However the reward for progressing is not only the level unlocks and the achievements but as your progress, new power-ups are unlocked.  Later on you can slow down time, remove hazardous stars and invoke a few other powers.  The trouble with the power ups are that they require you to make a large slash and it is unclear on whether you will get them or not.

iSlash is a great reflex puzzle game, however if you were expecting a game in the lines of Fruit Ninja you are likely to be highly disappointed.  Whilst it is simple in concept the vast amount of levels will keep you occupied for a long time and while it is frustrating it is well worth the investment, at the equivalent of 99 cents you cannot go wrong here 5/5

Hired Gun Review

Hired Gun is yet another sub-standard game that has been released by Triniti Interactive on the iOS market.  There have been multiple games released by the company involving the same stick characters, all have been fairly poor and Hired Gun is sadly no exception.

You can tell that Hired Gun is trying to adapt a comic book style, like the stark black and white art of Frank Miller's Sin City series.  This is complimented by the music track and the seedy street view that you are searching for your target in.

The only spots of colour in the game are in your scope and the blood of your targets, which are both a vibrant red, everything else is back and white.  The visuals of the game are not amazing but equally they are on par with most app games.  The loading sounds and the sound of your gun firing are very much what you would expect and the soundtrack does its job.

Where this game fails is the control mechanism and the ludicrous time limit in which you have to kill all of your targets.

In the game you see a street with lots of people moving about within it, some in buildings others outside.  In the corner you have a picture of what all of your targets look like.  Every stickman has a hat by which you can identify them.  There are nine targets that you must kill on your first level and all are wearing the same hat.

To do this task you only have a mere 60 seconds.  While this may be possible if you were able to quickly snap to your targets you cannot.  In order to line up a shot you must move your cursor slowly and lazily in line with your target, by which time they have moved on.  At this point you are faced with a choice, wait and see if he comes back or try and find another target.

No matter your decision you will either lose to much time waiting around or have to come back and kill the guy anyway, hoping that he is back when you next visit.

If you do pass somehow you get to progress, however if you fail your score is based on how many targets you killed in what time.  For every target you kill you gain seconds and time, for ever civilian you kill you lose both seconds and time.  It is all very basic and if it was smoother it has the potential to be a fun little game.

If being a hit man is your thing, check out Contract Killer, which does this simulation more justice than Hired Gun, Contract Killer is also free, so you will be saving yourself time and disappointment.  Removing the slow and frustrating game play and replacing it with achievements, leaderboards and level progression, as well as varied missions.

Even though Hired Gun has style, no game can ever receive a good rating if it fails at actually being playable, let alone an enjoyable experience. 1/5

Levan Topuria on Mogoco inc.

The app company Mugoco inc, has had many of their apps in the charts but recently their app, Milk the Cow rose to the number one spot.  I took it upon myself to try and get an interview with them on their success.


I managed to get hold of a designer Levan Topuria and they kindly answered all of my questions.

What got you into making apps?

In one word, it was magic!

Well, once upon a time a programmer and a designer met each other and decided to have fun and make money, and here we are! 

At this stage we now have 4 developers and 3 designers. (you can find our apps by searching appstore "mugoco inc" and "giorgi otiashvili")

The most recent app in the Top Free Apps List is Milk the Cow.  While rather grotesque it is also very entertaining.  What inspired you to create this app?

After we decided to rent office space and make app development our full time job, we started developing our first game TurtleCopter. This was our first experience in game development so we hit the wall

and lost a lot of time working only on one project.

After this experience we started working on maximum amount of easy to develop apps we could handle. as long as some nice new game "remakes" such as Andrew the Fish.

Well back to your question. "Milk The Cow" came into our heads just as a simplest and stupidest game but we thought that it would be fun for most of people.

So if your question is about the situation... it happened like this

"-hey dude what about milking the cow?

-what do you mean?

-tap on cow boobs and milk it 

-lol! lets do this!"

Out of all your apps, games and applications included, which has been your most successful?

so... no philosophy here...  well you can see yourself. the Milk The Cow app was #1. but still we think the best app of ours is the "Icon Skins Builder"  

Were you surprised at the amount of downloads your apps have received?

We had some expectations of being in top 10 of sub category but being #1 in Global charts was a real surprise! 

And finally, what can we expect next from you?

We are growing up and day by day we challenge ourselves in more and more complex tasks. 

We will deliver more and more useful and entertaining apps for our customers but we will not forget about simple apps that everyone loves so much .

You can visit the Mugoco website here

 

Super Drill Panic Review

Super Drill panic is the second iOS game to be released by the development team Orangepixel.  In making Super Drill Panic Orangepixel have taken a step away from Meganoid, their well received platformer, and moved into the racing platformer genre.

The game is level based and you must direct your character using the accelerometer, to the bottom of the level before they lose all of their lives.  Each area on the map consists of 5 levels and on each level there is three different objectives to be met, these are level completion, chest collection and coin collecting.  Once all three of these targets have been met, the level is 100% complete.  The initial map with the Indiana Jones character is 3 areas long and once completed, there is an arcade mode in which you go on infinitely until you die.

Once all of that little chaps levels are complete the thief is unlocked.  The thief's levels are harder and more complex in their design, keeping the player held back for much longer than the first characters.

Both characters have a total of 15 levels and an arcade mode each, along with personal item upgrades for each one.

Super Drill Panic is as addictive as it is charming.  This game will keep you occupied for a long time and is a must buy for anyone with an ipod, especially since at the moment it is free.

If Meganoid is anything to go by, expect there to be further content added in good time.

Super Drill Panic is a superb race game with a lot of charm 5/5   

8-Bit vs 16-Bit

8-Bit vs 16-Bit is what the title would suggest, a fairly retro game.  Like all good arcade games it has a simple premise and goal.  You must switch between the two modes in oder to tap and kill the 8-Bit and 16-Bit invaders.  


Tap and kill games have existed for some time, so this is brining nothing new to the genre.  It is the games theme and smooth handling that saves it.  However the theme of the game only goes as far as the initial menu screen, the game itself does not change between 8-Bit and 16-Bit.  

Overall the game is fun and simple, yet it offers nothing new to the genre and gets boring after a few goes, giving the game a life expectancy of a few hours.

8-Bit vs 16-Bit is a re-vamp of the old classics like Space-Invaders for the new breed of teenagers that have a small attention span.  However space invaders is more engaging and addictive than 8-Bit vs 16-Bit will ever be .


An average game with a great concept, it is a shame that this hasn't be expanded upon. 3/5

Elementimals Review

Elementimals is a card based game on the iOS market place, which is both fun and simple.  The games simplicity makes it accessible to any iOS gamer.  Based on the Final Fantasy VII game Triple Triad, Elementimals is a mix of solitaire, pokemon and tic tac toe.  


The game consists of either a two player mode or a you vs the computer.  The main mode against the computer, allows you to rack up a win streak of games and eventually, if successful enough you can unlock another game mode.


All games consist of a 9 square area, in which you and the computer take turns to place, element-infused animal cards.  If the card you place has a higher number facing adjacent cards, then the losing cards are converted to your colour.  The player with the most cards at the end wins the game.


There is also an option to put element squares on, this decreases the power on all facings of a creature whose element does not match it by one point, however if it does match the creature they gain one point in power, to all of their facings.

Elementimals may not compare strategically to the games of Reiner Knizia that are available on the market place, but unlike a lot of the those games, Elementimals is simpler and will appeal to a much broader audience.  The games colourful design and wonderful artwork match the theme nicely, giving players a unique and engaging experience.


Elementimals is a must by game for anyone on the ipod, while simple the game is not as random as it first appears and as you play more games the deeper strategies begin to reveal themselves.

A great card game for the ipod, simple and engaging, Elementimals will keep you occupied for much longer than you probably intended. 5/5

Mr. Karoshi Review

Mr. Karoshi is an addictive puzzle platformer on the iOS marketplace.  Instead of the usual platforming experience, the aim of the game here is to kill the protagonist.  The depressed Japanese office worker longs to die and you must help him do so, by any means necessary.  Whether it is by throwing him onto spikes or setting up and intricate electrical circuit, you will kill him off and once you do the explosion of gore is strangely satisfying.


Karoshi's controls are simple and straight forward.  While they may not be intuitive for people who are not used to pressing virtual buttons, the standard iOS gamer should have no issue here.  During each level you must use these controls to direct Karoshi to interact with his surroundings, pushing boxes, firing guns and flipping switches.

The game contains fifty levels and each one looks superb on the iPod, with the games cute pixely retro charm.  The games graphics and sounds, go hand in hand with the games theme.  While the premise is dark it is also humorous and does not take itself seriously.  It is far removed from sleeping pills, or a rusty razor blade in a bath tub.  Along with these fifty levels there is also a bonus unlockable mini game.


The beauty of this game for myself personally, was the way in which some levels have multiple end-game scenarios and there are a number of ways to end Karoshi's bland and stressful existence.


Mr. Karoshi has a lot of charm and is unique in terms of what the iOS market place has to offer.  It is a must by, especially if you are a fan of puzzle games.


See the interview with the games creator, Jesse Venbrux here.


A unique and darkly humorous, puzzle platformer - 5/5

Tetris

When Tetris was first released as an App it was sold at a whopping $9.99 price mark, however due to competition and the cheap prices of most apps now days, it has dropped to 69p.

While Tetris is not the most creative thing that EA have ever brought out, they are well know for trying to make a quick wad of cash where ever they can. EA's Tetris lives up to this low standard.  EA have not only released Tetris here, but filled it with a truckload of content, so much so that the game does occasionally lag out or crash.

The visuals within Tetris are very bright, much more vibrant than most Tertis games.  Sometimes these colours create more of a distraction than a lasting appeal.  The game offers a variety of different modes for players to play, yet they are redundant.   The majority of people will just want to play the classic Tetris, that they know and love.  Those that want to check out these other game modes will be highly disappointed, as they are thrown together with little thought or care.

Due to EA being a mainstream company, one would expect a hallmark of quality here, and yet you can see far stronger games made by independent indie games designers.   All of the extra features are hindered by the games appealing execution and the long loading times are unforgivable.

There are far greater puzzle games out there some of which are even free.  Whether Tetris is a personal favourite or not, I would give this version a miss.

A lazy rushed port of a wonderful classic 1/5

Cliffed Review

Cliffed is yet onother get as far as you can game, before your inevitable elimination.  The aim of the game is to get as high or as low as possible before the scrolling map takes you off of the screen.


The innovation with Cliffed, is that play a solo game or compete with three other players.  Whilst this is a fun change it still offers the same kind of game play standard in most apps these days.  The multi player aspect is engaging and addictive and it has its own in game leaderboard.


As you progress in Cliffed you also unlock other characters depending on how far you get without failing.  there are also pick up characters and another earn't by referral.  All of these characters look wildly different, adding a to the games charm.  However despite their looks and size, no character is really any different from the last or has an advantage over another, while this keeps the game fair, what is the point?  While it is nice to unlock rewards these lack any sense of real achievement.

Graphically Cliffed looks great, the characters move fluidly and the backgrounds are top notch.  Every character moves with grace and they all have personality within their tiny sprites. 


Cliffed utilizes IUGO VIP for leaderboards, so it lacks both OpenFeint and GameCenter leaderboards and achievements.


Cliffed can be buggy at times but due to its fast pace and short game time, it is pretty forgiveable.


Overall due to graphical style and innovation, I give Cliffed a happy 4/5.