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

 

Paper Toss Review

I kept seeing paper toss everywhere in the top app lists so I finally decided to get it and give it a go this week.  It is a silly and addictive game that has taken the app marketplace by storm and still pops in and out of the top app lists.  


Paper Toss is dead simple all you need to do is flick a crumpled ball of paper into the bin.  While this may sound easy, each level has its own challenges.  These challenges come in the bin's distance from the player and the bins size.  On some levels you also have fans that blow your paper ball in different directions, affecting your accuracy. 


While I really did not think a game like this would appeal to me, it has won me over.  It does feel like you are in an office, as the games sound effects replicate the bustle of a busy office, complete with co-workers who just cannot wait to throw some abuse at your poor skills.

Sure the game may be simple in its design, but then that is the appeal of a lot of good iOS apps.  It will entertain you briefly in a lunch break or on the bus.  Paper Toss is highly addictive and complimented by it's nice 3D rendering.  There are seven different stages that take place in different surroundings.  Once you get bored of your office surroundings you can visit the bar, a toilet, a basement or an airport, all of which have their own surroundings and charm.

The beauty of this app is that it is free. With this version you have to put up with adverts but they are barely noticeable, however if this gets on your nerves you can purchase the full app for a mere 69p, which is well worth the price if you ask me. 


Overall the app is addictive and fun but it could do with more levels or variations to increase it longevity.  Still as it is it will keep you busy for probably much longer than you intended.

Ricky Wong on Taplay

After having played the series of Tappi Bear games made by Taplay, I managed to get an interview with one of the games designers Ricky Wong.  I asked him about developing apps and the Taplay game series.

What got you into making apps?    

We like to play games alot, I think that is the reason 
why most developers make games. 

The Tappi Bear series of games is not only cute but also highly
addictive. What was the inspiration behind it?

There are a few secrets that we use in designing Tappi Bear games

1) Easy to control, players no need to see the instructions.    

2) Easy to play but hard to be advance.

3) Target for kill time games, each game plays in only 1-3 minutes

4) Colorful theme/items

I think these are the elements to make the game highly addictive!

The Tappi Bear collections 1 and 2 are both packed with content and
achievements, why did you decide to release the individual games in
collections?                       

At the beginning of this project, we planned to make a series 
of standalone mini games. But after few games were released, some players 
suggested that we have an All in 1 version. So we decided to pack them up 
into a collection. 

All of the Tappi bear games offer a completely different game style,
which is your personal favourite Tappi Bear game? 

I like Kung Fu Battle and Tap Tap Jump!

Will we be seeing more Tappi Bear in the Future?

Yes of course, we try to launch new game/app every month. And 
we just submitted a new photo snap application for Tappi Bear. You can 

adding Tappi Bear icons in your snap shots.

You can check out Tappi Bear here.

Crimson: Steam Pirates Review

Normally keeping to only reviewing games that are available to play on my ipod, I decided to branch out a little after having played Crimson: Steam Pirates on my friends iPad.  This was due to the the games importance, as it is the first game to be developed by Bungie, the company behind the Halo series on the Xbox and PC.

As it is their first financed project into the iOS market, I felt it necessary to review their venture.   


In this swashbuckling adventure you play as a pirate sailing the rough steampunky seas.  The game mixes various turn-based elements, making it feel like a board game mixed with something like Rebirth of Fortune.   The game has you taking control of the protagonist Thomas Blood, a renowned pirate, who has a flair for the ladies as well as a chest full of treasure.

In the game take charge of his ships and direct them in a turn-based manner by dragging your finger to form paths.  In combat you can do all the things that you would want to do as a pirate, including broadsiding and boarding vessels.  When a vessel is boarded the gameplay changes.  Once a ship is boarded, you then take charge of your ships crew in a different turn based combat mode.  There are over twenty unique units in this mode each with their own forms of combat and varied statistics.  This mode could be a separate game in its own right as I found it the most enjoyable part. 


You can tell that this has been made by a main stream developer as it knocks the hell out of most ipod game competition.  Graphically it well designed and nice to look at. It has a unique style and is as individual as Halo is to the first person shooter genre.

To fully experience the game, players must invest $1.99, but this small investment is well worth the expense.  With the introduction of more ships, aircraft, submaries and generally more of everything, you would be foolish not to buy the upgrade.


If you like turn based games, then this is a must for anyone with an iPad.


A well designed and deep turn based strategy game by the developers of the Halo series 5/5

Jetpack Joyride Review

Halfbrick is back with their new game Jetpack Joyride.  If you liked Monster Dash you will be in hog heaven here and if you didn't play Monster Dash, more fool you.


In Jetpack Joyride, Barry Steakfries makes his third appearance, however this time rather than trying to take out monsters he is simply going, as the titles suggests, for a joy-ride on a jetpack.    During the infinite scroll, see how far you can get style gameplay that most ipod / flash gamers will be accustomed to, you collect coins and try to get Barry as far as you can.   Whilst this is all going on there is also a range of missions to complete.  Once passed these grant you stars that increase the players level and grant extra cash. The in game cash can be used to purchase in game abilities, vehicle upgrades, alternate jetpacks or costumes for Barry.

All of this unlocking, customisation and levelling up adds a large extension to the gameplay, despite just being one action racing platformer.  Also boasting online leaderboards and achievements this game is bound to keep you occupied for a while.

Jetpack Joyride is a must buy for anyone with an ipod, it is possibly the greatest racing platformer to date 5/5

Spooky Hoofs Review

Spooky Hoofs is yet another racing platformer available on the iOS marketplace.  This time around the player takes control of a run away carriage being pulled by horses.  There are two buttons jump and whiplash, which charges through obstacles in your path.

Overall the game is what you would expect, you jump or smash through the obstacles in your path, whilst trying to get as far as possible.   However Spooky Hoofs innovates with arcade style boss fights and three different power ups.

Despite this innovation the game is unnecessarily hard on the processor usage, which was a bad move on the developers part.  Meaning that the game is unplayable by anyone who has an ipod older than a 3GS.  When I played it the game lagged out, often causing jumping to become a much larger issue than it should have to be.

Graphically the game is okay and better than most of its genre.  It looks like the developers were intending for it to look like Castlevania but lacked the ability to pull it off fully.  The game looks nice but it is let down by a rather plain and ugly looking menu.

If you like the racing platformer genre and possess an up to date iphone/ ipod, then you may want to give this a go.  otherwise I would pass on it.

Spooky Hoofs is a creepy looking race game with some innovation, let down by extreme processor usage. 3/5

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