About Us/Join The Team

About the App Shack;

Not all app review sites can cover every game that comes out on a daily basis.  That's where we come in.  We try to review the games that most of the time slip by the bigger sites radar along with the big name games. By reading our reviews you just might find the app you've been looking for without having to browse through the bottomless collection in the App Store.


Why We Do It;

We absolutely love... LOVE video games, the iDevice and the AppStore. Without 'em, we wouldn't be into gaming like we are. For a while, video games took a back seat, but once mobile gaming became a huge possibility again, it was over. Now, we're in the position to play, and review games, hopefully informing others so that they can make decisions on which games to purchase, and which games to pass on. We do not get paid to write reviews, we do this for free. In fact, we've even been giving out free ad-space and writing reviews without promo codes with the hopes that The App Shack can be turned around, and that you (the readers) can always find something new to read or check out here on the site. We do this because we love the scene. We love the gamers. We love the developers, and want to help give attention to them and their games, hopefully making it so that they can recoup some of their development costs, and keep developing titles for the platform, because it seems like so many fabulous developers have shied away from the AppStore because of the "race to the bottom", bad iTunes reviews from people who don't give games a fair chance, or don't understand exactly what they're buying, and lack of proper attention for their amazing games. This really is a shame, and we just want to do whatever we can to help turn that around.

If you feel the same, and would like to join our team, or just wanna chat it up and talk about games; feel free to drop us a line @ TheAppShack@Live.com


Scoring;

Some of you may wonder how it is that we come up with our star ratings. Right off the bat, we want to say that we do not compare every game to every game. We try and consider the other games within the genre at that time, and give the game a rating based on it's highlights, faults, and where we feel it falls within it's given gaming genre. We do this because, really, there's no real way to compare ESPGaluda with Soosiz or Machinarium with Monsters Ate My Condo. It just doesn't work. But the best thing you can keep in mind is that you can't always judge a game based on how many stars it's earned, but rather by playing it yourself, and the best way to get a feel for whether or not you'll enjoy that experience is to read the review instead of glancing at the rating. We do know that everyone has their own tastes and favorites, but if you do feel like we've given a game a rating that it does not deserve, either too low or too high, you can always express why in the comments section. We are very open to criticism, and do take every comment seriously. We're here because of you, the reader, and them, the developers. Not for ourselves. So let us know what you think if you're so inclined. =o)


Writers;

Syntheticvoid,

I just recently started to manage The App Shack, in place of Dave Forester, the man who created TAS. I'm 30, enjoy writing, music (I also create music under the name Apparent Symmetry), movies, reading, anime... I tend to like more melancholy/bittersweet and cyberpunk themed entertainment. I started playing games when I was 5, and my grandma got an NES. Since then, I've been addicted. My favorite video game of all time is Metroid II - Return of Samus. Now my favorite types of games are Platformers, Shmups and Strategy titles.


Cabdog,

Games are so darn fun, why not write what you think of them and help out others in the process! I really enjoy writing reviews, and will give an honest and candid impression on what the game beholds. I am a full-time Software Engineer, married, and father to a 3 year old boy who enjoys playing most of the games with me; well, anything except Zombies and blood ridden games of course! I enjoy Platformers, Tower Defense titles, Motocross/Truck Trials, FPS’s, good puzzlers, and anything energetic, engaging, and fast-paced. In my spare time I’m an avid rock-climber and mountain biker, and have played video games since the days of Atari’s Pong. The AppShack is a great resource and I’m proud to be able to be a part of this site!