Contest for a Zenonia Promo Code!

Enter Here to Win A Free Code for Zenonia!

We have received a promo code for Zenonia, courtesy of GAMEVIL, to give away to our lucky readers.To win Zenonia for free, leave a comment or email trcontests@gmail.com, saying what GAMEVIL's other game in the App Store is. (Hint: It's a baseball game) If you leave a comment, please include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Some people want more privacy, so that is why we offer the option to email us. You may not enter more than once per contest. The contest will close on July 13th, and the winners will be announced soon after. The more people enter, the more contests we will have in the future, so enter and tell all of your friends! Below this post is a contest for 2 Toki Tori codes and for 2 Car Jack Streets codes, so enter those for triple the chance to win a free game!

Check out the review of Zenonia, and if you do not win, support the developers and buy it, because it is worth it.

iTunes Store Description: Zenonia

CONTEST CLOSED: CHECK THE POST ON THE FRONT PAGE FOR WINNERS.

Contest for 2 Free Car Jack Streets Codes!!

Enter Here to Win Free Codes for Car Jack Streets!

We have received 2 promo codes for Car Jack Streets, courtesy of TAG Games, to give away to our lucky readers.To win Car Jack Streets for free, leave a comment or email trcontests@gmail.com, saying why you want the game. If you leave a comment, please include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Some people want more privacy, so that is why we offer the option to email us. You may not enter more than once per contest. The contest will close on July 14th, and the winners will be announced soon after. The more people enter, the more contests we will have in the future, so enter and tell all of your friends! Below this post is a contest for 2 Toki Tori codes, so enter that for double the chance to win a free game!

Check out the review of Car Jack Streets, and if you do not win, support the developers and buy it, because it is worth it.

iTunes Store Description: Car Jack Streets 

Contest for 2 Free Toki Tori Codes

Enter Here to Win Free Codes for Toki Tori!

We have received 2 promo codes for Toki Tori, courtesy of Two Tribes and Chillingo, to give away to our lucky readers. To win Toki Tori for free, leave a comment or email trcontests@gmail.com, naming the other two platforms Toki Tori has been on. (Read the review of Toki Tori for the answer.) If you leave a comment, please include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Some people want more privacy, so that is why we offer the option to email us. You may not enter more than once per contest. The contest will close on July 12th, and the winners will be announced soon after. The more people enter, the more contests we will have in the future, so enter and tell all of your friends!

Check out the review of Toki Tori, and if you do not win, support the developers and buy it, because it is worth it. 

Toki Tori is now having a $.99 sale! If you were holding out before, because of the price, now's a great time to buy Toki Tori!

iTunes Description: Toki Tori

CONTEST CLOSED: CHECK THE POST ON THE FRONT PAGE FOR WINNERS.

Toki Tori Review

Do you have a Wii? Do you have a Game Boy Advance? If so, then you might have, or have heard of the game Toki Tori, which was very well received by IGN and many other sites. Because, now, Toki Tori has come to the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The goal in Toki Tori, $4.99, is to guide a bird named Toki Tori through 80 levels, spread across four worlds, and collect all of the eggs. The levels are presented in a platformer style, and Toki has various tools to help him move through the level. However, these tools usually have a limited amount of uses. When there is a gap in front of Toki, you can make a bridge across, and let Toki pass. If there is an enemy, like a hedgehog, you can shoot them with a freeze gun. If there is a wall blocking your path, you can teleport a certain distance. You have to use these tools in certain spots in each level, which makes the game challenging, and more fun. The graphics in the game are crisp and somewhat 3D, some of the best on the iPhone. To control Toki Tori, you simply tap anywhere that Toki can reach without using a tool. To view the whole level, do an outwards pinch identical to that in Safari, and other applications. To scroll through a level, push two fingers around. To use a tool, just tap on the left side of the screen, where there is a bar with the different tools, and how many you have of each.

A great thing about Toki Tori is the fact that there is a "Wildcard," which allows you to skip a level if it is too hard. To get the Wildcard back, you must beat the level that you skipped. This means that if you are stuck on a level, instead of giving up, you simply use a wild card and try again later. To unlock the next world, you do not have to play all the levels in the previous world, instead you have to beat the normal levels, then you have the option to play the hard levels, or the next world. If you choose to play the next world, you can just go into the level select screen and go to the last few levels. Also, all the levels are different, and you don't do the same thing over and over.

There is a bug in version 1.1, if you have the 3.0 software, it gets jittery if you play it for a few minutes. Version 1.2 was submitted with a fix, in the meantime, just turn off the in-game sounds and music, and that fixes everything. 

Pros:

A Whopping 80 Levels!

Challenging, Requires Thought

Great Graphics

Cons:

3.0 Bug

Bottom Line:

If you want a game that is a platformer, or puzzle game, that requires some thought, then you will definitely not regret your purchase of Toki Tori. 

Scores:

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 5/5

Controls: 5/5

Replay Value: 4.5/5

Overall: 9.75/10 (not an average)

Link: Toki Tori, $4.99

EDIT: v1.2 was released, now you can listen to music as you please on 3.0.

Bobby Carrot 3 Review

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of Bobby Carrot 2, and I said that it was extremely fun. Well, Bobby Carrot 3, costing $1.99, is even more fun because of the inclusion of several new features. In Bobby Carrot 3, you guide Bobby Carrot through 55 challenging levels, collecting energy stars. While you are traveling, you encounter obstacles, such as spikes, paths that rotate after you have been through them, lily pads that float on the water, and can only be propelled when you are on a space next to them, buttons that change the flow of the water, and locks that are only opened once you find the key. Also, there is a new addition in Bobby Carrot 3, the ability to swim. Once you collect all the energy stars, you must make your way to the end of the level, shown as a red and white circle.

In Bobby Carrot 3, there are two control methods; Swipe, and Joystick. In Swipe, you swipe anywhere on the screen to move Bobby in that direction. In Joystick, you press buttons in the lower left corner, and control Bobby that way. There is also an option to turn full screen on or off; When it is off, it shows the arcade box around the game, but in full screen, the entire screen is the game.

The ability to swim makes this Bobby Carrot game rise above the rest. Although you might think that being able to step into the water and swim would make the game easier, it doesn't. Before you can swim in each level, you have to collect a scuba mask. Also, you can't just get into the water anywhere, there are specific spaces that are a transition from land to water. The energy stars that are underwater can not be accessed if you are on the land level. This adds a lot of strategy to the game, because you have to figure out how to get the the transition spaces, after you get the scuba mask, and also make sure you'll be able to get back to the exit of the level.

If you are a fan of Bobby Carrot games, and are good at them, you will beat Bobby Carrot 3 quickly. The game has some challenging levels, but is also easy. On the other hand, since there are 55 levels, if you finish the game, you will not remember the solution to the earlier levels, and you can play through the game again.

Pros:

New Features

Extremely Fun

Cons:

A Bit Short

Bottom Line:

If you liked the earlier Bobby Carrot games, get Bobby Carrot 3. It is a good puzzle game, and is definitely worth $1.99.

Scores:

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 4.5/5

Controls: 4.5/5

Replay Value: 3.5/5

Overall 9/10 (not an average)

Link: Bobby Carrot 3, $1.99

Buka Review

Buka, $1.99, by Hexage.net, is a very unique action puzzle game, where you guide a moon, named Buka, through space, by blasting all the asteroids out of her way. You push the asteroids away by tapping rapidly near them, and you can make them explode by pressing on the screen, holding, then releasing your finger. In the options menu, you can choose whether you want to be able to control Buka using tilt, or not. If asteroids hit Buka, craters appear on her, and she becomes closer to getting blasted off the screen. When you destroy large asteroids, small green shapes appear, and if you push the shapes towards Buka, she gains health and loses some of her craters. Before each level, Buka says a few words about why she is traveling in space, then gets bombarded by meteors.

There is a nice learning curve in the game. The first few levels are easy, then it gradually gets harder, and is always the perfect difficulty. Because of the difficulty, players will not get frustrated, and this makes the game extremely addicting. Usually you put a game down when you either are stuck on a level, or it is ridiculously easy, but in Buka, you just keep playing because there is nothing stopping you.  Also, every few levels, Buka introduces a new type of asteroid, or concept, to you, so the levels are new and refreshing. For example, the first few levels have asteroids that are easy to push, and explode with one shot. However, later on, there are larger space rocks that spawn smaller rocks when they are blown up. Then, even later, there are small asteroids that move incredibly fast.

Although Buka is addicting, it is also somewhat repetitive. No matter how many types of asteroids there are, you still always have to repeatedly blow them up, and there is not that much difference between the types of space rocks. Also, there are better games out there for $1.99, so $.99 would be a better price.

Pros:

Addicting

Just the Right Difficulty

Easy Controls

Cons:

Repetitive

Price is Slightly High

Bottom Line:

If you like action games, and puzzle games, get Buka. If you don't, wait for a price drop, then get it.

Scores:

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Graphics: 4/5

Controls: 5/5

Overall: 8.5/10 (not an average)

Link: Buka, $1.99

CLUE Review

Mr. Boddy was murdered last night in his mansion. He had three guests at his house. It is your job to inspect the house and question the suspects, then accuse who murdered Boddy, in what room, and with what weapon.  In this element it is similar to the board game, CLUE, and that is why it Electronic Arts named it that.

CLUE, $4.99, isn't an actual port of the board game, it is a mystery game based on it. In the missions, Mr. Boddy dies in his mansion, and there are varying numbers of people and rooms in his mansion.  The game revolves around how many minutes you have left, and is not actually based on how long you take, but instead, how many activities (inspecting fireplaces, switching rooms, talking to people, etc.) you do.  There are two introduction missions, and ten regular missions in three groups of three, also increasing your reporting skills. You start with the tutorial levels as an Internship, get up to Junior Reporter, then Reporter, then Beat Reporter then Senior Reporter. For each level, you get a certain amount of stars based on whether you accused the right person, room, weapon, and if you had a certain amount of time left.  Once you get into a house, you can scroll around the room that you are currently in. There are five buttons in the top left of the screen. The one on the far left is obviously the pause button, the one with your boss is to call in with your report, the button with footprints is to move around the house, the flashlight is to investigate objects in the room, and the speech bubble button is to talk to a person in the room.  On the bottom of the screen are three buttons to help you keep track of your clue, the crime map, where you can arrange the suspects and weapons in rooms freely, the notes button, where all the notes you have found are stored, organized into a general section, and sections for each of the suspects.  To the right of the note button is the Suspicions button. In it, you can check off suspects, weapons, and rooms to clear them from your suspicion. (Note: You can always un-clear them.) When you go to the map to walk around the house, it shows what items are in what rooms, which is helpful when a suspect says that another suspect was doing something involving an item.

Because you have to get a certain amount of stars on each mission to unlock the next three, and each mission has different endings, there's tons of replayability. The interface is easy to use, the graphics are cool and have a geometric feel to them.  You can sit down and play the game for hours, or play one mission for a few minutes. It takes time and many playing sessions to master the game.

The one thing this game lacks is some sort of multiplayer. The fun of the board game CLUE is that you are racing against a friend or family member, but this game lacks that breakneck pace. The game would be much better if it had a classic option where you could play a port of the original game, on one device or through WiFi, like EA has done with its previous ports of board games.

Pros:

Great Graphics

Interesting Mysteries

Replayability

Cons:

No Classic Mode

No Two-Player

Bottom Line:

Fans of mystery games; go out and get this. Fans of CLUE; go out and get this. Customers who have some spare money on their hands and want to have some fun; go out and get this.

Scores:

Graphics: 4.75/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Controls: 5/5

Overall: 9/10 (not an average)

Link: CLUE, $4.99

Car Jack Streets Review

You are Randal, a man with $1,000,000 of gambling debt, and you have to pay the mob leader, Frankie, $50,000 every week. Can you do it?

Car Jack Streets, costing $.99, developed by TAG Games, is a Grand Theft Auto type game that takes place in Jack City, a huge city that you can roam around in, hijacking cars, delivering pizza, shooting people, and even being a bodyguard. There are many missions that you 

can complete, such as driving someone to meet their friend, or destroying a car with an enemy in it. The game takes place in real time, so every day you can complete new missions, and every real week, you have to pay off your debt by using the money you make from completing missions.

There are three control methods for cars, and one for walking: analog, digital, and wheel, and a d-pad when on foot. Analog has a bar on the left side of the screen that you slide to turn left or right. Note that it doesn't turn to your left, but instead the car's left. On the right side of the screen, there are two arrows and a turbo button, press the top arrow to accelerate, and the bottom to go in reverse. 

Digital is the same as analog except you do not slide on the left side of the screen, you press a left or right button. Wheel has a circle on the left side of the screen, and you slide a smaller circle around the circumference to drive in that direction. The wheel is the easiest to use of these methods. The d-pad for walking is perfect, and is not truly a d-pad, but instead a picture shown over what really functions as an analog stick. On the right side of the screen on foot, there is a weapon button and a button to get into a car. There are about 30 vehicles in the game, ranging from Sedans to Helicopters and Assault Tanks, and five weapons. 

The game is very addicting and fun, and keeps you coming back over and over again. Car Jack Streets has the option to switch the orientation, which is a feature that most games lack. This way, iPhone or iPod Touch users do not have to play with the headphones jutting into their hand.

Even after the update with the wheel control method, it is still a bit difficult to control. That, and the fact that real-time can sometimes get annoying, are really the only bad parts of the game.

Pros:

Good Graphics

Lots of Vehicles

Tons of Replay Value

Cons:

Controls Are a Bit Hard

No Free Play Mode

Bottom Line:

Car Jack Streets is very good game, and easily worth your 99 cents, especially if you enjoy Grand Theft Auto.

Scores:

Graphics: 4.5/5

Gameplay: 4.9/5

Controls: 4/5

Overall: 9.5/10 (not an average)

Link: Car Jack Streets, $.99

Zenonia Review

You are Regret, a boy whose father was killed by demons, and you must choose your path; will you be good, or evil? Will you be an assassin, warrior, or paladin? You must make your way through the world of Zenonia, created by GAMEVIL Inc., and sold in the App Store for $5.99.

Zenonia is an RPG where you control an anime boy around his world, starting in a little town, and branching out to bigger and bigger cities, completing missions, and defeating bosses in the game. You try to level up and pick up items, add strength to your character, choose special attacks, and wander around, in both day and night time in the game.  There are about 40 hours of gameplay, which is amazing for such a cheap price, so you're actually getting about 6 hours and 40 minutes of play for $1! And that isn't even counting the time you could replay the game as different characters (assassin, warrior, or paladin) or if you choose the other path (good or evil).

The controls are quite simple, but somewhat awkward. You would expect that, since the iPhone and iPod Touch are pretty much the best touchscreen devices on the market, the controls would be through touch. Wrong! Most of the menus in the game use an on-screen d-pad, and that makes it more difficult to navigate. The main game uses a d-pad that is slightly too sensitive, and if you run into a wall, it auto-corrects you and moves you to the side a few spaces.

The rest of the game is fantastic. The frame rate is perfect, it is immensely fun, and it can entertain you for hours.

Pros:

40+ hours of gameplay

Great Graphics

Lots of fun

Cons:

Controls are slightly too sensitive

Menus could use touch controls

Bottom Line:

If you like any RPGs, get this highly polished, incredibly fun game.

Scores:

Graphics: 4.5/5

Gameplay: 5/5

Controls: 3.75/5

Overall: 9.5/10 (not an average)

Link: Zenonia, $5.99

Baseball Superstars Review

1...2...3 Strikes! You're out! The gameplay of Baseball Superstars, by Gamevil, closely follows this pattern. In it, most of the time, you are either striking out, or running extremely slowly while the other team gets you out with insanely fast throws. 

In the game, there are several modes, including season and quick play. In these modes, you choose a coach, who gives you special abilities, and a super batter. Once in the game, you start batting. You can move left and right next to the plate, and press a button to swing, once the pitcher pitches the ball.  Once you hit the ball, it usually only goes infield, then it is caught. It is almost impossible to get a home run, and your players run incredibly slowly. I have only gotten a few runs in the entire time I've played the game.  After you get three outs, you switch to pitching. You first choose what type of pitch, aim in all four directions, then press a button to pitch.  You then do this for nine innings.

This game has all the features you want in a baseball game, but just isn't that enjoyable. I don't usually like baseball games, so that may be the case, but it just lacks a fun factor for me.

Pros:

Different modes

Easy controls

Cons:

Too hard

Boring and Repetitive

Bottom Line:

If you love baseball games, either get this or Com2us's game, 9 Innings Pro Baseball 2009.

Scores:

Gameplay: 2.5/5

Graphics: 3/5

Controls: 4/5

Overall: 6.5/10 (not an average)

Link: Baseball Superstars, $2.99

Marble Blast Mobile Review

Once I had played Marble Blast Gold for the computer, I knew it would be perfect for the iPhone. Imagine my surprise when it came out, very recently, on the App Store, costing $4.99.

In Marble Blast Mobile, the goal is to collect all the gems in the level, then get to the exit. Some levels do not have gems, just the objective of getting to the exit. You tilt the device and use arrows on screen to control your marble and change the view angle. An alternate control scheme is also in the game, where you use virtual analog sticks to move and adjust the camera. The graphics are also incredibly good.

There are two modes in Marble Blast Mobile; Single Player, and Multiplayer. In Single Player, there are 20 levels, which may not be enough for a Marble Blast fan. The level selection is easy, just tapping arrows or swiping to move through the levels. In Multiplayer, you play on one of a few courses, against a player on WiFi. The only downside to this is that unless someone is on WiFi near you, in the game lobby, you will never use this game mode. Other features included on the main menu are the ability to choose one of many marbles to play as, Options, to change the controls, calibrate, change your high score name, or turn sound effects and music on or off.

The game was quite fun for the first few levels, but I didn't like having to collect the gems. I wanted to play the later levels, which were more streamlined and didn't have gems, but they were locked, until I could get a gold medal on one of the levels I had already unlocked. But, it you are a casual gamer, it is very hard to get the gold medals, and unlock the later levels. So, I eventually stopped playing the game, and I keep wishing that there could be different difficulty levels.

Pros:

Lots of different marbles

Great graphics

Good controls

Cons:

Needs difficulty levels

Bottom Line:

This is a good game for fans of the Marble Blast series, but if you are a casual gamer, there are better options for you. The game has all the features it needs, but it just doesn't nail it.

Scores:

Graphics: 5/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Controls: 4.5/5

Overall: 8/10 (not an average)

Link: Marble Blast Mobile, $4.99