Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bobby Carrot 2 Review

A bunny walks around, planting easter eggs and picking up carrots in a wintery cartoon world. This may seem very childish, but that is part of what gives Bobby Carrot 2 its charm.  It is one of the hardest puzzle games I have ever played.  Also in the App Store are other Bobby Carrot games, Bobby Carrot Forever, currently priced at $4.99, and Bobby Carrot 1, priced at $1.99, are both other games in the Bobby Carrot series.
In Bobby Carrot 2, You are Bobby Carrot, moving around collecting carrots in Carrot Mode or planting easter eggs on green, grassy platforms, in Easter Egg mode. There are 30 levels of Carrot Mode, and 20 of Easter Egg Mode. You can have one game going on in each mode at the same time, and can resume either from the menu. You control Bobby by swiping on the screen, or
 pressing arrows near the joystick. You can choose to view the game in Arcade or Fullscreen view. The first few levels of the game are easy, but then the difficulty quickly skyrockets.
Bobby Carrot 1 and 2 are not original to the iPhone, as they are mobile ports, but they have new music tracks. Bobby Carrot Forever is made only for the iPhone and iPod Touch. 
Bobby Carrot 2 has a lot of fun strategy involved, with spikes that jut up from the floor once you move across them once, ice, where you slide in that direction until you reach some sort of obstacle or new terrain, and also gems, which melt blocks of ice in your way. In easter egg mode, also, you cannot go through the easter eggs you automatically lay down, which also adds strategy. 
The Bobby Carrot games truly have as much gameplay as they promise, so getting one alone could occupy you for many hours. The game is fun like an RPG, with a puzzle twist.
The only complaint that some people have is that sometimes it is hard to control, but I do not feel that way at all. 

Pros:
Fun and challenging gameplay
2 modes
Great wintery graphics
Different control options
Different view options

Cons:
It is not an iPhone original (But that does not bother me since I have not played the original)

Overall:
Bobby Carrot 2 is a must buy if you like puzzle games at all. If you like it, think about buying the others in the Bobby Carrot series, including Bobby Carrot 3 and 4, which are coming out in May and June.

Score: 9.5/10

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monopoly Giveaway!!

I have 1 code for Monopoly HERE AND NOW: The World Edition, a great board game port!! To enter in the contest to win the code, make a comment on this post saying what the original price of the US version of Trivial Pursuit, a new game by EA on the app store, is and your email address in case you win, and in a few days I will decide the winners randomly!
Good Luck, and the contest starts now!!!

Hint: The original price is the current price.


CLOSED: Check comments for the winner!

Neverputt Giveaway!!!

I have 5 codes for Neverputt, a great mini golf game!! To enter in the contest to win one, make a comment on this post saying why you want Neverputt, and your email address in case you win, and in a few days I will decide the winners randomly!
Good Luck, and the contest starts now!!!


CLOSED: Check Comments for Winners!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Pocket God Promo Code Giveaway!!!

I have 2 codes for Pocket God, the number 3 app in the App Store!! To enter in the contest to win one, make a comment on this post saying why you want Pocket God, and on Monday I will decide the winners randomly!
Good Luck, and the contest starts now!!!

CLOSED: Check comments for winners!

Magic Ball 2 Review

Magic Ball 2 is a Pseudo-3D brick breaker for $1.99 by Alawar Entertainment. I personally am a big fan of Brick Breaker games, such as the Bootant ones (which aren't the best), Space Buster and others. However my classic love of break games was not enough to get me to like this particular game.  

As illustrated on the right, Magic Ball has 3-D levels, however can only hit the blocks on the bottom level. I personally found that this was a copy of the desktop version, which I have not played, but looked into during this review. Alawar also shamelessly advertises their other products, every time you open the app. The control system is standard, tilt to move. The reviewers on iTunes found it a good game, unlike me, with no review under 3 stars, and a 4 star average.

Pros:
Original Idea
100 Levels

Cons:
Shameless Advertising (On a paid app!)
Copy of Desktop Version 
Frustrating Controls
 
Overall:
This should not be high up on anyone's buy list, even a hardcore break gamer's. Most reviews glorify the app, making it seem much better than it is.

Score: 6/10

Screenshots: Link

Neverputt Review

I am a huge mini golf fan. And when you look out on the App Store, you don't seem to find many mini golf games. Then, one day, I found Neverputt. I played it a bit, then didn't like the menu, so I stopped. A few days ago, the developer, Lazrhog Games, released an update that completely changed the amount of time that I play the game. It added two great courses, made the menu much better, and made the graphics smoother. I started playing it again, an instantly loved it.
To play Neverputt, once in the app, you tap a course on the menu to see its description. You then tap the play button to move forward, and you choose how many players. The game starts then. To aim the ball, you slide left and right on the screen. When you want to adjust the power, you slide up and down and read the triangular meter below the ball. Then to putt, press the putt button in the upper right corner of the screen. The ball bounces off many walls, then if you aim right, eventually finds its way to the hole. The physics are very realistic, so if you overshoot the flag, the ball will bounce over the hole.
The best thing about Neverputt is how many holes it has. It has a whopping 159 holes over 9 courses! All of them are great and unique, and in one of the new courses, there are many obstacles like loops, spirals, and more.
The in-game graphics are also great, with the exception of the colored background that surrounds the floating holes. The menu isn't very aesthetically pleasing, but it works, so if there is a future update, I would suggest re-vamping the graphics of the menu and hole backgrounds. (Make woods, a desert, etc.)

Pros:
159 holes
Graphics of holes are good
Multi-player on same device

Cons:
Graphics on menu and background of holes need a bit of work

Overall: If you like mini golf, you should think about buying Neverputt, because it is the best mini golf game on the App Store.

Score: 8 out of 10

Link: Neverputt, $.99

Friday, April 24, 2009

Reflexion Review

Of the countless brick breakers in the App Store, Reflexion, by Trileet, is truly the most unique I have seen. The basic brick breaker consists of a paddle at the bottom of the screen that you slide along and hit a ball that bounces off the walls to destroy blocks, or bricks. But in Reflexion, you draw a paddle, then redraw and redraw it, and try to hit the bricks, collect the moving power-ups, and avoid going through sections of the wall, a feature unique to Reflexion.
There are two modes, Arcade and Puzzle. In Arcade mode, it is like a normal brick breaker's game mode, it progresses from level to level, and if you lose, you start over. The Puzzle mode has a level selection screen where you can choose from thirteen different levels to play separately.
After getting Reflexion, I was immediately hooked. It was addicting and unlike any other brick breaker, and surprisingly, even though Trileet strayed away from the 
classic formula when creating Reflexion, incredibly fun. 
However, when my friend tried it out, he did not feel the same joy when playing it that I did. He became frustrated at the controls and after playing the first five levels and losing, he stopped. I admit, some people may not like Reflexion, but most brick breaker fans will definitely enjoy it.

Pros:
Intuitive Controls
Lots of Power-ups
Intuitive Gameplay
Two Gameplay modes

Cons:
A bit difficult at first
Has problems on some iPod Touches (2nd Generation) I do not have one, but have heard this, and the developer is fixing this, so when the next update comes out, you are fine

Overall: This is a definite buy for anyone who is a brick breaker fan, and a suggestion for those who want a time-waster. (But then again, all iPhone games are time wasters) :)

Score: 9 out of 10 

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Monopoly HERE AND NOW: The World Edition Review

I'm sure every one of you reading this has played Monopoly before, right? Well, I love Monopoly. It has truly remained my favorite board game, of hundreds that I have played.  And I feel that the iPhone version of Monopoly, Monopoly HERE AND NOW: The World Edition, brings the game to justice.
Monopoly for the iPhone has basically the same gameplay as regular Monopoly, but takes place all around the world, with the board of the World Edition Monopoly board that recently came out. It can have four
 players, including games over local WiFi or on the same device. There are buttons at the botto-
m of the screen that allow you to buy, sell, trade, and manage your properties. You easily can save and resume games, and the graphics of the board are fantastic.
At the price of $4.99, Monopoly is a great buy, especially if you like Monopoly. However, some extreme fans of the original Monopoly board game dislike the Here and Now edition, because even though it says it in the name of the application, they thought that the iPhone version of Monopoly would have the classic board too. But, for those who have complaints, EA is rumored to be working on a classic Monopoly. The AI is a bit biased, as in some situations it skips over your monopolies that are all the properties on one side of the board. But, it doesn't make much of a difference, because on Easy mode, I have only lost once.

Pros:
Great 3D Graphics
It's Monopoly!
Lots of player tokens to choose from
WiFi and Same-Device play
Easy controls

Cons:
AI sometimes favors the computer
No option to speed up the computer's turns

Overall: If you've never played it before, buy a board before purchasing, but if you like Monopoly, then definitely buy it at $4.99, or wait for Classic Monopoly if it is confirmed.

Score: 8 out of 10


Sunday, April 19, 2009

Pocket God Review

Pocket God is currently the #2 app in all of the App Store, and the #1 Entertainment app.   Basically, Pocket God is a fun app that has an island with Pygmies on it, and you can do lots of things with them. There are weekly updates that add new features to the app.  Some of the things you can do in Pocket God are drop coconuts on the islanders' heads, move the islanders, flick them into the distance, tilt the island and cause earthquakes, cause a volcanic explosion, strike the islanders with lightning, feed them to sharks, turn one into a vampire, cause a hurricane, fish in the ocean, burn your islanders with a magnifying glass, feed them to fire ants, chat on Feint, hit them with a meteor, and name your islanders.
The update-a-week adds a lot to the app, because it refreshes the game (Well, actually entertainment app, not game) every week and adds to the features. Sometimes after a bit, the game starts to get a bit boring, but then the update comes out and it is more fun. $.99 cents is a great asking price, and once three more updates come out, Bolt Creative is raising the price to $1.99.

Pros:
Update-a-week
Fun gameplay
Low price of $.99

Cons:
Fun Factor Gradually Decreases

Overall: Go get Pocket God before the price gets raised and bring it back to #1 if you want some cheap fun!

Score: 9 out of 10





Wild West Pinball

Wild West Pinball is a "Wild West" themed pinball game comprised of one board and a high score table, currently available on the App Store for a sale price of $.99, with a normal price of $2.99.  It has a great frame rate and beautiful graphics, and you can play it for 5 minutes, or 5 hours.  The controls are easy, and the ball is easily viewed while the board is panning.
The consumer response to the game was varied, and some buyers thought that $2.99 was a bit high for only one table.  I agree partially, as it is lacking quantity for the price, and it would be nice to have a local or personal high scores table.  On the other hand, some gamers soon had this skyrocket to the top of their favorite games list because of the fast, exciting gameplay, the competitive in-app online scores table, and the other high scores table on the internet, so you can see your position  worldwide, no matter how low your score may be.  Also, at its current sale price, Wild West Pinball is an absolute steal!

Pros:
Fast Frame Rate
Exciting Gameplay
A Great Pinball Table
Two High Score Tables

Cons:
Only One Table
No Personal Score Table
Panning Annoys Some

Overall: Wild West Pinball is an absolute steal at $.99 cents, and anyone who is addicted to pinball, likes pinball, or has heard of pinball but hasn't played it, should buy it now.

Score: 8.5 out of 10




This is my first review, please leave comments saying if you think it is good, what I should add in the future, what I shouldn't have, or what games I should review next.

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