Crazy Machines, a contraption-building fun fest from dtp entertainment AG, has quickly climbed the charts in the app store, maintaining its place in the Top 100 paid iPhone games for some time now. With its creative problem-solving methods, wacky objects, and open sandbox-style construction kit, it is easy to see why this game has been so popular as of late.
Did you ever have a science class project where you had to build a zany machine to solve a mundane problem or perform an everyday task? Well, dtp entertainment AG has taken all of that excitement and fun, shrunken it down, and given it back to us in mobile, digital glory. Crazy Machines features 50 levels of puzzle-solving action. Each level contains pre-built elements of what will become the final device. The professor assigns a task to complete and a limited number of objects which can be manipulated to function in the device. Once assembled, you press the go button see if you have successfully achieved your goal, watching balls bounce, balloons fly, scissors cut, and so on and so forth. If successful, you will receive a score based on speed of construction and success of the experiment. After completing the level, you can view the Professor’s Solution to see how the Professor would have solved the problem. We usually had the same idea as the Professor, though a couple of times we used different methods successfully, proving there is more than one way to achieve your goal.
While the puzzles are fun, the most enjoyable aspect of the game is the Construction Kit, which throws the doors of creation wide open, giving you access to tons of objects and a blank slate upon which you can create your own ridiculous contraptions. The successful use of certain objects within the puzzle levels will result in being awarded those objects for use in your construction kit, so you should play through the levels to receive the full spectrum of available items. There are 8 memory slots in which you can save your best designs.
Graphically, the game looks very polished and fun. There are tons of great items to allow your imagination to run wild. The sound presents a bit of a problem, as we experienced very choppy background music. The controls are all touch-based and simple to use. Action buttons adorn the right side of the play field screen, allowing access to menus, items, and the go button to make it all happen. Tapping an item brings up its action circle, allowing you to drag the item into place, invert its position, rotate it, etc. There is a very nice tutorial available to guide you through the initial stages and to familiarize yourself with the controls.
The open sandbox certainly gives this game its replay value, as, once the puzzles are solved, there isn’t much enjoyment in re-solving them. While there are similar contraption-building games in the app store, most notably Fantastic Contraption (regularly $4.99), Crazy Machines holds its own. Well-priced at $2.99, it’s worth your time and money to find out exactly why this 4-Dimple winner has been popular with iPhone gamers everywhere.
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Spy Bot Chronicles is a terrific new 2D platformer that continues the saga begun by Toy Bot 1, 2, and 3. Recently released in the app store by IUGO, Spy Bot Chronicles builds on the success and polish of the Toy Bot franchise that we have come to expect and hold dear.
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Before he can begin episode 4, Toy Bot is kidnapped by the evil Thief Bot, who has already swiped a mess of other objects, from the mundane Pizza to the IUGO-specific Freeballin’ Orb. Spy Bot, decked out in sunglasses and trenchcoat for maximum levels of incognito, must travel across 4 worlds, reclaiming the stolen items and rescuing Toy Bot. Several enemies are scattered throughout these worlds to thwart Spy Bot’s efforts. While all of these fiends are annoying, some can be used to further your efforts and provide that much needed edge when Spy Bot gets stuck. For instance, the little yellow guy who bumps you around can actually give you quite a big boost upward when you land on him just right, allowing you to propel yourself higher than your jumping ability allows. There are also several skill sets that you can acquire along the way to help you deal with new obstacles, such as the Double Jump to help you reach those unusually high platforms.
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Utilizing his hacking ability, Spy Bot can even interact with the worlds in new and exciting ways, such as activating a labyrinth-like structure to spin in ways that allow Spy Bot to get through to continue his journey. Tap on an object that contains the hacking symbol to activate it. As you make your way through the levels, you’ll need to collect the gears laid out like a trail of breadcrumbs. These serve to lead you through the level toward the checkpoints and the endpoint. Activating checkpoints will allow you to restart from said point if you fall off of a ledge or are hurt by an enemy.
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Graphically, the world of Spy Bot is similar to those of Toy Bot, with bright colors and Mario-like level structures. Sounds are fun and upbeat, very fitting for the game style. The control scheme is dead simple, too. Left and right buttons in the lower left corner control left and right movements. A jump button in the lower right corner makes Spy Bot jump. Spy Bot even has a laser beam that shoots out of his head. Dr. Evil would be so jealous. To fire the weapon, simply tap the screen in the direction that you want to shoot. This can be used to eliminate enemies, as well as interact with your surroundings, knocking down towers, destroying blocks, cutting ropes, etc.
Spy Bot offers tons of replay value, with hours of initial playthrough value and the motivation of collecting all of the objects and all of the gears available throughout the game. As of this writing, Spy Bot Chronicles enjoyed an introductory sale price of $0.99, though it has now risen to $3.99, which is in keeping with the other games in the series. Regardless, it is a great value for a 5-Dimple favorite.
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Blackjack World Pro, a terrific new app based on the popular casino game, has been released by Candywriter in the app store. With beautiful visuals, varied rules, and a bunch of options to customize gameplay, this is one app not to miss.
011Blackjack World Pro gives you the option to play blackjack in any of 6 different casinos, all of which have their own rule sets. You can choose to play in Reno, Las Vegas Downtown, Las Vegas Strip, Atlantic City, Montecarlo, or Macao. Each casino has its own distinctive look and its own variations on the general rules. To see a reference list of rules for your chosen casino, simply tap on the rule card icon in the upper left corner of the screen. A list transitions into view, explaining rules for when you can split or double down, how many decks that casino uses, whether cards are dealt face up or one-up/one-down, and many others. There is even an option to create a custom casino experience, where you select table and deck colors, number of decks used, and several of the other rule variations.
012The main game screen has a very elegant, polished look and feel about it. The vibrant colors have that popular-nightclub-color-scheme vibe. Your chip options adorn the right side of the screen. Simply tap the denomination that you’d like to bet until you have reached your target bet. The chips will accumulate in your betting circle. To clear a bet, simply swipe over your chips and the table is cleared. Three option buttons slide in on the left side of the screen: Deal Cards, Walk Away, and Settings. Settings gives you a quick way to change game speed, select which items are displayed, determine your starting bankroll, and more. Walk Away is simply a quit button, used to leave the table and move on to another casino. Deal Cards locks in your current bet and begins the hand. Your current bankroll total is noted in the bottom right corner. The upper right corner hides a card-counting menu. Tap in the corner and you’ll be able to select one of 22 different card counting methods. The selected method will have its info appear on the menu button for quick reference. Based on the cards dealt to you, your options will appear as buttons on the left side of the screen (Hit, Stand, Double Down, Split, and/or Surrender). The right side of the screen has a single Hint button. Tapping this will flash the option that the Blackjack Strategy Guide recommends based on the cards that you and the dealer are showing.
010Blackjack World Pro even allows you to create profiles, so that you can track your statistics in the different casinos and see how well you do in the long run. This can assist you in honing your blackjack skills, giving a clear indication of how effectively you follow blackjack strategy. There are very few sounds in the game and all controls are touch-based. This is one of the nicest blackjack games we’ve come across in the app store, and it has instantly become our go-to blackjack app. Others just do not compare to its great style and integrated card-counting feature. Replay value is very high for gambling enthusiasts, as well as those interested in becoming better card players. Candywriter recently dropped the price to $0.99, citing a limited time sale, which has lasted nearly a month now. Don’t just STAND there! HIT the buy button for this 5-Dimple beauty and SURRENDER your dollar before this sale price SPLITS!
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Lately here at AppSmile, we’ve cringed when we hear that a retro game is being ported for the iPhone. Usually, great games of yesteryear just don’t work well with the iPhone OS control mechanisms. Unfortunately, this reality has tarnished many a classic arcade titles in the App Store.
Fortunately, Taito’s new iPhone game Space Invaders Infinity Gene is no mere port of the original (although they had previously released one of those too). Infinity Gene takes the original Space Invaders idea and evolves it into a significant modern game that will leave you astonished — whether you’re a fan of the original or not. Of particular note, and to our glee, is that Infinity Gene walks you through the evolutionary process while you play.
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Starting off players are given a very abridged version of the original game. Side to side scrolling/shooting quickly evolves into free roaming and weapon upgrades. Taito has incorporated 38 levels into the game and a transformation takes place between each. Soon you’ll be collecting unlockables that become available throughout the game. New and useful weapons like search laser, wave, lock-on, and gravity appear at certain stages. Ship stock can be increased from three to seven allowing for longer gameplay sessions. Supplementary stages can also be unlocked that lead to further challenges.
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Our team has been frustrated with many top-down shooters in the App Store because they require finger controls that obscure the object you’re trying to control! Not the case with Space Invaders Infinity Gene. Taito has allowed finger control of the ship by touching any part of the screen with the ship position staying relative to your finger. Firing is automatic, furthering the ability to keep you focused on the onslaught of attacking hordes.
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Now it must be said that if you’re looking for an iPhone game that delivers highly rendered graphics and menus, you might be disappointed with Infinity Gene. In an honorable nod to its roots, Taito has kept the style very basic and clean. We personally love this approach as it melds both retro and futuristic minimalism into one attractive package. AppSmile highly recommends you take a look at Space Invaders Infinity Gene. We give it our 5-Dimple stamp of approval.
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This Week’s Featured App Giveaway: Medieval!
Aug 17th, 2009
by AppSmile Team.
1 comment [Edit]
Medieval
Congratulations to last week’s iPhone Game Giveaway winners of Parachute Panic and the winners of Kryzer Prologue: mrholder, Apollon, NovaTornado, nightshadow135, OTGGamer, HotPocketNinja, iaian7, jamessun, and Lakeyy!
This week the team over at Brisk Mobile have been very generous! They have provided 6 promo codes of their successful App Store entry Medieval!
To enter just Leave a Reply at the bottom of our Medieval Review HERE. As usual, winners will be randomly selected via Random.org. Contest ends 8/23/09 at 11:59 PST.
Here’s to Brisk Mobile and all of our contestants!
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Welcome to the future!!
As we have moved into the 21st Century, so has technology! More specifically the wireless telecommunication industry.
As you well know, the wireless industry has been sort of a “closed industry”… you had to buy their phones, use only their add-ons, their services, etc. Anything you wanted to do with your phone had to go thru them. They controlled everything… and there were no bargains… they soaked you for every penny they could get because they controlled everything…
…Not anymore, and they hate it!!
Our eyes have been opened with the introduction over the years of the ‘SmartPhone’!
“They’ve fundamentally given us a PC in the pocket. What we’re seeing is an up-ticking demand for smart-phones, with Apple leading the way in the context of being the gold standard and forcing the rest of the smart-phone vendors to respond in kind.”
…………………….-TechNewsWorld
Thats right… It all started with the iPhone and now every wireless company is jumping into the “smart phone” business as fast as they can so they don’t miss out…
As all the wireless companies compete to always have a better phone than the other guy, the phones got “smarter” and “smarter”. It’s like they got so greedy they couldn’t “see the forest for the trees” … How could they continue to develop their phones and make them appealing for the consumer to buy their phone over their competitors phones??
The new buzzword is “APPS”, which is short for “applications”. These are simply software applications that can now be downloaded to the new generation of wireless Smart Phones, any model, anytime, anywhere in the world…
In the beginning these ‘Apps’ were restricted so that the wireless companies could make huge profits. But the only way for them to truly maximise the sales of their phones was to allow their phones to accept 3rd party Apps. Completely allowing the phone owner to have a unique phone of their own… Something special…
“…according to new data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)…Smart-phones are expected to see revenue growth of 51%.
……………………-Digital Media Wire
Overall, Nokia dominated Smart Phone sales with over 70% of the market. However strong growth from Motorola and Samsung saw their Smart Phone sales increase by over 200%……………… -Tech Central.ie
All this type of information only goes to show that the future is going to be filled with SmartPhones, and with those smart phones come more and more Apps for all of us to enjoy!!
But as I’m sure you know, aquiring Apps costs money, especially the really cool apps out there!
So how do we give ourselves the opportunity to keep up with this ever racing industry, and always have the ability to play with the newest Apps without having to constantly spend money every day or week??
How do we manage to stay the envy of all our peers because we have the latest Apps?
Well… I guess you could spend a small fortune constantly buying the newest Apps all the time! That would work!…
Or…
What if you were able to have an unlimited supply of Apps to download without having the expense? Is this possible? Can you really stay ahead of the game without being out of pocket?
To all these questions the answer is YES!!
How would you like to have your very own unlimited supply of apps for your iphone?
Well its alot easier than you think to have unlimited access to the coolest APPS
There are a few websites out there that will give you access to Apps, but there are very few that will give you UNLIMITED ACCESS!!
So in conclusion… If you like being admired by your peers and always enjoy having the newest of the new then I seggest you take a look at
www.all1apps.com/13027
We have an APP for everything: Movies, Music, Videos, Wallpapers, Software, Games, Ringtones and much much more…
And remember, you get unlimited access 24 hrs a day to all of this. Whenever you want!!
Remember we have to keep up with the future… What better way to do this than with your phone!!!!
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Touch KO, a terrific new iPhone boxing sim from Chillingo, has finally been released in the app store after much anticipation from mobile gamers. With intuitive controls, beautiful graphics, and enjoyable gameplay, it’s the next best thing to opening up an actual can of whoop….. well, you know where we’re going with this.
Starting the game, you have the option to Quick Play or enter into Career Mode. While Quick Play is fun if you just want to try it out, the real meat and potatoes is in Career Mode. You choose a boxer body, name him, and customize his tattoos (or lack thereof), gloves, trunks, and shoes. As you win matches, you will earn money that allows you to purchase clothing upgrades, though there are several free options for each. Your boxer is ranked in terms of power, stamina, and agility, which can all be improved through training before matches, which is not nearly as fun as it sounds. Prior to each match, you choose which category you’d like to increase by 5% by tapping a button. There is no sparring with a heavy bag or practicing your footwork, which might have actually been cool. You can also improve these stat categories through the purchase of clothing items, as well. Gloves improve Power, trunks improve Stamina, and shoes improve Agility.
After completing your “training,” you can select your opponent. The game presents a decent comparison across certain stats so that you can tailor your match accordingly. This information screen also includes purse size and amount of popularity you stand to win if successful. After confirming your match opponent, it’s fight time. You need not worry about moving around the ring, as the game controls this for you. You simply concentrate on punching (all upperbody) and blocking. Each fighter has a status bar which indicates energy level (green) and permanent damage (red). As you throw and take punches, your energy level decreases. As you get hit, your permanent damage increases. Lose all of your energy and you’ll be eating mat. Hit the canvas three times in any round and you’re TKO’d. Take on too much permanent damage and you’ll be knocked out. We must admit that the boxers look a little goofy when being knocked down, resembling a crumpled ragdoll more than a stunned human. When a fighter gets floored, the game replays the devastating hit in slow-motion. While exciting the first few times, this began to get annoying and detracted from the overall gameplay enjoyment. We’d love to see a tap to skip option or an option to turn it off altogether.
You’ll begin in the amateur league, working your way up to a title fight, which should not take long. Amateur bouts are 3 rounds of 3 minutes each. Professional bouts go 5 rounds. Unfortunately, given the surprisingly weak AI, we never had a match go past the halfway point of the 1st round until our 11th match, long after we had taken the Amateur title. The 11th match was over after 2 minutes. Our boxer was knocked down only once on his way to the Professional title, and that was because we unleashed a flurry of punches that wore down our energy. From about the 14th match, we were going into the 2nd round simply because our opponent spent most of his time blocking. We sort of danced around the ring for a while, trading an occasional punch but not much else. To be honest, it started getting a bit boring.
The graphics are outstanding. It almost feels like you are watching video of last night’s match rather than playing a game. Everything looks crisp. Even the spit spewing from the boxer’s mouth as an uppercut drops him to the mat looks disgustingly realistic. Sounds are good, with decent sound effects, crowd noise, and a pretty cool rap track that fits the game well. The controls utilize both touch and accelerometer. The right side of the screen controls the right arm movements; the left side controls the left arm. Tap either side to jab, swipe inward to cross, and swipe up to uppercut. There are no body shots at this time, though Chillingo is working on this for a future update. If you touch-hold either side of the screen, your boxer blocks. Turning your device left or right triggers the accelerometer and your boxer dodges to either side, though we had little use for this feature.
Despite its initial shortcomings, we are holding out hope that Chillingo will tweak the necessary areas to make this game a bit more challenging. Chllingo is currently working on an update that should bring an Expert level to the game, so we’ll see if that improves the performance of the opponents. As it stands, it remains quite fun, even if it’s mostly a terrific looking way to beat the heck out of someone. No other iPhone boxing title can hold a candle to Touch KO, and the $2.99 price tag is lower than we anticipated. If you crave a boxing title, this is the one to get. Touch KO is a solid 4-Dimple slugfest that has the potential for a 5th Dimple in the near future.
Touch KO gets our AppSmile 4-Dimple rating:
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Diamond Breaker, an Ice Breaker clone released by mAPPn in the app store, puts you in the role of miner, making laser cuts in crystals to attempt to land the encased diamonds in your boat. While we’ve been hoping for an Ice-Breaker-type game for the iPhone and iPod Touch for some time now, we were disappointed by this offering in many ways.
Diamond Breaker features 25 levels of strategic puzzle play. You must use your finger to make cuts in the crystals on each level to ultimately cause the entrapped diamonds to fall into your boat. Some cuts will allow crystals to fill in gaps allowing crystal balls to roll downhill; others will release a hammer to knock the diamond into the boat, cause a lever to propel the diamond into the air, and so on. Each level allows a specific number of cuts, indicated by a bar on the right side of the screen. Each level also contains a level map, which indicates the level layout, location of diamonds, and area of current view. There is a virtual d-pad that controls your view, allowing you to move effortlessly around the level.
The graphics are cartoony and there is a catchy little tune that plays in the background. The controls are so-so. We would prefer some type of two-finger swipe to change views. The d-pad would occasionally get in the way when trying to make laser cuts, triggering a view change when we simply wanted to make a cut in the crystal. The Remaining Cuts bar also gets in the way at times, blocking your view when you try to make a cut at the extreme right side of the screen. The game also did not autosave my progress upon exit and kicked me back out of the game on occasion. Overall, it was a very underwhelming experience, especially given that Ice Breaker was 50 levels and contained a greater level of difficulty. We blew through the first 10 levels of Diamond Breaker without issue.
With little replay value once the fairly simple puzzles have been solved, Diamond Breaker is a decent pick-up at $0.99 only if you typically struggle with strategic puzzle games or are just looking to drop a buck for about an hour’s worth of fun. mAPPn misses the boat with their 3-Dimple offering.
Update: The developers at mAPPn are doubling the number of levels for Diamond Breaker. Game play modes will be introduced with different themes & backgrounds.
Diamond Breaker gets our AppSmile 3-Dimple rating:
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Perfect Balance: Inferno, ttursas’ much anticipated follow-up to the wildly popular Perfect Balance: Harmony, recently hit the app store. While maintaining a similar feel to Harmony, Inferno adds some interesting new elements which up the degree of difficulty while providing yet another satisfying experience.
For those unfamiliar with the original, each level contains one or more stationary objects upon which to balance a collection of shapes. These objects sit above a dotted line and include both regular and irregular shapes. You must drag each piece onto the playing area and try to balance all of the pieces at once upon the stationary objects. If any of the pieces falls by the wayside or the finished product cannot find stability, you fail and must try again. To move on to the next level, all pieces must remain motionless and balanced for at least one second.
Perfect Balance: Inferno provides 120 levels of gaming fun, 30 more than are currently provided in Harmony. The newest iteration has a darker, scarier theme, with ominous background music and spookier textures, including yellow peering eyes that blink from behind the game pieces. Stationary objects now include buzzsaws that turn randomly, speeding up, slowing down, and changing direction without warning. The buzzsaws really impact gameplay, at times sending pieces flying or preventing your creation from gaining stability. There are even new types of pieces, such as objects that are five times heavier than other objects. You must really consider how to place your pieces to be successful. The puzzles even seem more difficult. While we blew through the first 25 levels in Harmony, we were given pause within the first five levels of Inferno, to the point where it took nearly 20 minutes to pass a single level. Ttursas has really upped the ante with this offering.
Gameplay was just as smooth and polished as in Harmony. The graphics are very appealing, though not as “spooky” as intended. That being said, there is a nice effect created when the buzzsaws grind against a piece that makes it look like oozing blood rather than flying sparks. Controls remain the same is in Harmony. Touch controls can be calibrated to show the active piece anywhere you like in relation to your finger position on the screen. Simply tap to rotate.
All levels are locked except the current level, so you must complete each in order to move on. Priced at $0.99, this puzzler is hard to pass up. If you enjoyed Harmony, you’ll certainly love Inferno, which, like its predecessor, also receives a 5-Dimple rating.
Perfect Balance: Inferno gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqHBY_pWUcQ
Video by vhilen
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Defender Chronicles: Legend of the Desert King, Chillingo’s fairly recent addition to the Tower Defense genre, has made its presence known in the app store. With its unique 2D style, multitude of RPG elements, and vast depth of gameplay, it is no surprise that Defender Chronicles is able to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Defender Chronicles, like most of the other TD games, employs fixed-path maps whereby enemies follow the same route in their attempt to reach their goal. Unlike the competition, enemies must move back and forth from one side of the screen to the other, using ramps to reach each additional level until they finally reach the top (or bottom) where they can exit the board. This is the only TD game we’ve seen where you defend vertically and on multiple levels. Another interesting twist is that you build your defenses in specified locations denoted with flags, as opposed to building towers at the location of your choosing. This also limits the number of defensive stations you can use, so you must choose wisely and strategize at every turn.
There are currently 7 different maps to choose from and 5 game modes to play (story, freestyle, extended, classic, and classic extended). There are 4 difficulty levels, ranging from novice to heroic. Eight enemies from warriors to mages to mini-orges will swarm your defenses in waves that you must fight off over and over. There are several big bosses that you will have to defend against, as well. There is an interesting storyline woven through the action involving a Hero who defends the last board position and controls the defenders. As you play, you gain experience from your battles, as well as gold coins from defeating enemies, which can be used to upgrade defenses or gain skills. Successfully defending each map gains stars. Using greater difficulty levels and not allowing any enemies through gains more and more stars. The stars can be used in the Trade Shop or Great Library to strengthen the Hero through artifacts and skills. As you can imagine, the roleplay elements are a huge aspect of the game and a good understanding of how everything works is easier experienced than explained. Suffice to say, fantasy fans and novices alike will enjoy working through the achievement systems and RPG elements that add richness to the overall experience.
The graphics in Defender Chronicles are top-notch, with intricately-detailed, hand-drawn boards that create a very polished look. Even the soundtrack is terrific. Nine original tracks play as you defend your position, heightening the tension and giving the game an epic feel. The voice-over actors help to give the game a cinematic quality that you don’t get from reading expositional text. Of course, if you prefer, you can now play music from your own library instead of listening to the included tracks. We tend to prefer the in-game music for this type of game. The controls are all touch-based. Simply tap on flags to prepare to build. Tap your selections from the various pop-ups to choose guild type, whether to upgrade or sell, or any other decision that you’ll encounter.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfMf_MOlOGM
While there are plenty of TD games and RPGs available in the app store, none meshes the two genres as intricately and pleasantly as Defender Chronicles. Chillingo has struck a wonderful balance that should appeal to just about any gamer with an interest in either type of game. Replayability is extremely high, as the game will vary greatly each time you play based upon your selection of mode, difficulty level, guild placement, strategy employed, etc. Defender Chronicles is a steal at $2.99 for everything that you get in the game, as well as continued updates that add more maps, enemies, and other elements. This 5-Dimple beauty should remain a top tier game for a long time to come.
Defender Chronicles gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating:
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Taxi Jam, Nerv Media’s entry into the time management/route management field, has just been released in the app store. While Taxi Jam bears many similarities to other recent app store releases of the same ilk, there are enough twists and features, not to mention a ramped-up difficulty, that should help carve out a cozy place in the market.
The goal in Taxi Jam is to use your fleet of taxis to pick up passengers and drop them off at their desired locations. Unlike taxi-based competitors like TaxiDrive or Taxiball, you can, and must, control several taxis at once to keep up with the transportation needs of the waiting passengers who will randomly appear around the board as white figures. The longer the figures wait for a ride, the more their bodies fill with red rage goo. If they fill completely, they pop and cost you a life. Unlike other time management games like TaxiDrive, Flight Control, or Harbor Master, you get 5 lives in Taxi Jam, rather than just one. Crashing a taxi with a passenger inside will also cost you a life, as will collecting a passenger and taking too long to deliver that passenger to his destination. Crashing an empty cab, however, will not cost you anything other than the time it takes to drag another taxi from the station into service on the roads.
Any taxi can pick up any passenger and, once he is in the taxi, the vehicle will receive a colored ring overlay that corresponds to the color-coded location where the passenger must be dropped off. These locations appear as colored rectangles in different parts of the city. At the start, there is only one drop location. As you progress in the game, more and more will appear, requiring lots of planning to get passengers to their locations quickly without impeding the paths of other taxis. You receive points when you successfully drop off your passenger at his desired location. There is only one passenger allowed per vehicle. Drag taxis to and from the station as necessary. Too many taxis are about as helpful as too few.
You must also be aware of the emergency vehicles that will speed through your streets at any given time. Their routes will be denoted by flashing red broken lines, setting them apart from the solid lines created when you map out routes for your taxis. Vehicles like fire engines and buses can only travel in straight lines across the city, so be sure to clear out that road when you hear the sirens wailing. Police cars will wend their way through the city, requiring you to clear a longer and more widespread path for them. You can alter the paths of your taxis by redrawing the path lines. Simply use your finger to draw a path from the desired vehicle to its desired location. We did run into issues with passengers waiting at corners. We would draw the line to the end of one block, but the passenger wouldn’t get it. We would have to draw another path to turn the corner before he would enter the vehicle. Similarly, some paths were drawn around the corner that wouldn’t cause the passenger to get in, so we had to backtrack once more. Not a big deal, but it is unclear where the path must be drawn to in order to get the passenger in the vehicle without further intervention, which becomes a problem as the board fills up with taxis and passengers and red rage goo.
The graphics are very nice, with a clean interface and stylish look. We did have a hard time picking out waiting passengers or unmoving taxis from time to time, as the screen gets quite busy and it’s easy to overlook non-moving objects. Also, the purple and blue colors aren’t quite distinctive enough to quickly determine which is which, costing us precious time to make a decision or reroute a vehicle sent to the wrong location. The sounds in the game are good, with honking car horns, garbled radio voices, wailing sirens, and effects for dropping off and picking up passengers. There is funky beat that plays during the game, as well. There are three city layouts to play, with New York unlocked from the start and London and Paris unlockable when you’ve deliver 100 passengers in the previous city. There are local and global leaderboards, though the game exits and opens a Safari window to display them. It would be nice if this was handled in-game.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-iYAll6fiY
Though similar in style to other games, Taxi Jam certainly sets itself apart from the pack. Replayability is good, as leaderboards provide motivation and the difficulty level, though frustrating, is quite challenging. Nerv Media has competitively priced Taxi Jam at $0.99, in keeping with the other games in this genre and making the purchase a no-brainer for fans of these games. Taxi Jam delivers a solid 4-Dimple score.
Taxi Jame gets our AppSmile 4-Dimple rating:
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