Twirdie-0.99

Twitter is one of the fastest ways to tell the world that you are eating a bagel and also the fastest way you can see that your friends don't care.  In the app market no one has dared to make a game that harness' the power of Twitter except for the developers at Simple Machine. They decided to step out of the box and make a one-of-a-kind experience that combines two things, Golf and Twitter.  Twirdie is the result of this combination and is probably the only way to put those two things together successfully. 

The gameplay is simple and complex at the same time. At the bottom of the screen there is a text box where you type any word you can think of.  Once you do that the game checks Twitter for how many times that word has been used in a Tweet within the last 30 seconds.  Then your ball moves a certain distance according to how many times the word showed up in Tweets. To win a course you must get your ball to the end using the phrases and words you type in.  This brings a lot of strategy to the game because you are forced to think "Whats popular today?" or "People will probably be talking about lunch." If you enter a extremely popular topic that has enough tweets to push you past the goal then you have to restart from where you where before you typed it in.  The downside of this game is the fact that you can never be sure whether or not a word is popular.  Now this isn't all that bad but winning a game successfully under par depends a whole lot on luck.

There are only nine courses but its tough to beat a course under par so it will take you a while to beat all the courses.  After that there isn't much to keep you playing as there are no other modes but its fun to go back and play them again to see what is popular and rack your brain for what would be a good word to choose. It is not necessary to have a Twitter account to play or have any knowledge of golf at all.

 

Overall this is a quirky game that successfully utilizes a new and unique mechanic in a fun way.  It is definitely worth checking out if you have a obsession with Twitter,Golf, or having fun.

Link:http://itunes.apple.com/app/twirdie/id440559593?mt=8

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Flick Golf Extreme! - 2.99

Flick Golf Extreme! (by Full Fat) [$2.99] is the amazing sequel to the original Flick Golf [$0.99]. The theme of the original Flick Golf was just a normal golf setting. Now, with Flick Golf Extreme! you get to flick a golf ball out of a helicopter and over a canyon! Who wouldn't want the thrill of that? The game comes with 5 beautiful environments to play in, with simple controls. Just flick the ball where ever you want it to go to. While it's in the air you can swipe across the screen to move the ball. After it hits the ground, you can change the direction of where the ball's going before it bounces 3 times.

The game comes with three different modes: Quickshot, World Tour, and 5 Ball Challenge. In Quickshot mode your goal is to score as many points as possible within the given time limit. The target moves around, while the wind level increases gradually. You can achieve more time by getting extremely good shots. During the World Tour mode, you get nine shots on the course to score as many points as possible. After three shots the target moves farther away, while the wind increases. In the 5 Ball Challenge mode you get 5 balls to score as many points as you possibly can. Every ball that you get in the hole, you get to keep and flick again. These three modes definitely add to replay value of the game. The modes are fantastic, I would just like to see more levels (environments) added to the game in the near future. The thing that intrigues me most about the game is the stunning graphics. Everything just looks so amazing! I'm glad I've gotten the opportunity to play in these different environments in a game, because I highly doubt you'd ever catch me hitting a golf ball over a canyon someday.

  

If your not a major golf fan (like me) I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this game. I truly have enjoyed it. If your looking for a new game that's easy to pick up and play then I recommend that you go check it out or you can go download the original Flick Golf if you're not sure, which is on sale at the moment for $0.99. Overall, the game has very simple controls, gorgeous 3D environments, and replay ability, that'll have you addicted to this little game for a while. My final rating is 8/10. A HD version for iPad is suppose to becoming soon according to Full Fat's twitter. Flick Golf Extreme! [$2.99] is out now with GameCenter support for iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Don't Die- 0.99

Don't Die! Don't you die on me! Alright, enough with that. Just had to get that out of my system. Don't Die [$0.99] is truly a super tough platformer. You play as Phil, a fat boy with a major candy obsession. The game has simple controls: slide your finger on the left side of the screen to guide Phil on his journey and tap on the right side of the screen to jump. I'm not a major fan of the controls, but they get the job done. The game comes with 49 levels at the moment. Lets just say that those levels are not a breeze at all. Each and every single level is extremely tough (well except for the first level). I'm pretty sure that I spent a good hour on just one level. The name of the game is Don't Die, but with these tough levels it is really hard not to.

As you can see from the screenshot on the right, this game gets pretty difficult (as I previously mentioned). Everything is pretty simply designed. I'm guessing this is so you don't pay attention to little details such as graphics and focus more on the mission on hand: to feed this little boy some candy! But during the levels I'd like to hear at least some type of background music to motivate me on my epic quest. It gets a bit annoying to constantly hear a jumping sound. Maybe also, when you get closer to one of the moving blades they could start to make a sound to warn you that you are about to approach them. That would be a big help, since if you die once you have to start the level all over again.

I'm actually very glad that this game is as tough as it is. If it were easy, then I'm pretty sure this game would be extremely boring. Since it's challenging you can easily get hooked on this game. If you just want try the game out before you buy it, you can download Don't Die Free [FREE]. If you love facing challenges then just go download Don't Die [$0.99] now! My final rating is 6.5/10. The game just needs some extra things to be perfect for me.

Don't Die comes with GameCenter and Open Feint support and is a universal app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

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Quest Runner RPG-1.99

This unique game is a bit difficult to describe.  It doesn't really fit into the niches carved by so many games before it and cant be categorized as one or the other.  But for now lets call it a rpg. When you first start off on your grand adventure you get to choose your starting armor, haircut and name. Then your magnificent tale of quest running begins in the town of Torma, home of some seriously ungrateful people who want you to do quests for them...FAST.  As you progress in the story you'll find many quirky characters and find your archnemesis, Rooster who despite having short, stubby legs can complete quests faster than you.  If you don't get anything I said above don't worry, you'll get it once you complete some of the game!  You see thats why this game is such a refreshing change of pace from the normal run of the mill stuff that has no humor or inside jokes.  The characters are lively and are fun to interact with and sometimes give you helpful items.

The gameplay in this game is simple, drag to move your character and tap to interact with others or move to a certain spot.  There are 2 buttons on the bottom of the screen, the attack button which looks like a sword and the potion button where you can use the potions you have gained in the game.  Later you earn skills which also take up space at the bottom of the screen.  Your health bar is located above your players head.  Now the thing about the controls is that they aren't that precise and you can sometimes goof up when your in a crowded area and are trying to talk to one particular person. Sometimes you might accidentally hit the potion button when you were trying to go left.  But overall I would say the controls are entirely bearable but a little bit of tweaking is necessary.  And speaking of tweaking the menus need a lot of that.  The selection menus from the start are completely devoid of color and make the game look way worse than it should.  But fortunately the in-game menus are a little better except for the pause menu.

Your goal in the game is to complete quests and there isn't really much of a storyline to speak off.  Your basically doing quests with no motive other than trying to be the best quest runner and their aren't any princesses to save either which was a major disappointing factor for me.  When you kill a creature a item is dropped be it gold or a part of the creature.  This is where the game is a bit confusing to me. There is no inventory system to speak of and you cant sell the animal parts your picking up so what do they do?  Apparently nothing and when you need them for a quest you have to go out and get them again.  Aside from this creatures can also drop treasure quests and of course you can get XP for each kill so you can level up.  There are a decent amount of weapons and armor you can buy at certain levels and they all change the way your character looks.  You can also buy pets to assist you in your adventures along with mercenaries that assist you also. Both need to be either feed or paid off.

This is a pretty expansive game and I have put in about a hour and a half and have only met two bosses so im sure it will last for a lot longer.  There are 3 IAPs but they are completely optional and they in no way affect the gameplay or content at all. The 2.5d graphics are nice and so is the sound effects and music.  This is by no means a hardcore rpg game and is good for what it was designed for, pick up and play.

Overall I give this game a 8.5/10 in leu of a little bit better control over your character and a better menu system. It is definitely worth the asking price if you enjoy quirky sidescrolling rpgs.
Link:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quest-runner/id434339273?mt=8

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iQuarterback 2: Pocket Edition [Preview]

iQuarterback 2 has already been out for a couple of weeks on the iPad [FREE]. I must say that it has been a blast of fun on the beautiful screen of the iPad. That left me wondering that day, "Would an iPhone version be made?". The answer to that question is no! I'm just kidding it's yes! I'll brush you up on what iQuarterback 2: Pocket Edition is all about just in case you've been living under a rock and have never heard of the identical iPad version.

The controls in the game are very simple that even a caveman could do it! All you have to do is tap to where you want to throw the ball. It's as easy as that! The game comes with 2 modes: Shootout and Accuracy. Shootout is where you have a bunch of moving targets going at once that you have to try to hit. Some targets move faster than others. Let's just say, that's not my best mode. Accuracy is where your main objective is to try to hit a stationary target that pops up. You want to aim for the bullseye for extra points *hint* *hint*

Throughout each game you earn fame points depending on how well you perform. Those fame points aren't useless at all! You can unlock upgrades with them. Such as more time clock targets or bomb targets that explode all the targets on the screen! The interface for the upgrades is fantastic. It's extremely easy to find what you need. There's some pretty cool costumes as well!

Come on who wouldn't want to be a cute watermelon throwing panda quarterback? ;)

Obviously since the iPad version is free, it makes sense to make the iPhone/iPod Touch version free also! This makes sense to add in ads (you gotta make money someway). The major downer is that the ads are a bit obtrusive. On the iPad version you hardly ever notice the ads. On the iPhone version the ads pop up at the end of a round of playing. I guess I'm over exaggerating then. It's not that bad I guess. At least the ads aren't in the way of any gameplay or in the main menu screen. But, the ads can be removed with an IAP. 

iQuarterback 2: Pocket Edition will be released Thursday (Wednesday night) for free with GameCenter integration. A must download. It's free! Where can you go wrong?

Few Screenshots:

Shootout Mode

Accuracy Mode

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Joining Hands-2.99

Hands. When you were a kid you were disgusted by even the thought of putting one of your hands anywhere near a cootie infested girl.  But in this game your encouraged to help the little Peablins hold hands so they can get through the forest safely and be reunited with all of their family and friends. This may seem like a weird game concept and it most certainly is but the devs managed to pull it off spectacularly. 

The gameplay here is simple, drag,drop and tap the Peablins so that no hand is left behind.  But, here's the cinch, there are different types of Peablins brought into the mix that cant go in certain positions or they have fixed arms.  This brings up an entirely different game element that is refreshingly different from the millions of match-3 puzzle games in the appstore today.  There are many different ways to finish a puzzle with no way being necessarily correct. You get a star for a level if you gather all the stars in that level.

The content of this game is quite robust with 6 level packs and with an average of 18 levels in each pack.  Over a hundred new levels have been promised in the next update so this certainly has a long run time for a puzzle game.  Not to mention the fact that most levels are devilishly difficult the farther you get into the game.  You can find yourself frequently stumped by a certain puzzle for quite some time which is why I think they should have included a hint system for us puzzle challenged users.

Overall this is a refreshing take on the puzzle genre and should definitely be checked out if you enjoy putting yourself in puzzling situations.  I give it a 9/10. 

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8-Bit Rally- 1.99

8-Bit Rally, the newest game from Photon Creations is now my favorite arcade racing game. Now you might be thinking "Hes just another biased reviewer and is getting paid to write that this is his favorite game".  WELL you sir are wrong, Im not being paid and this is indeed my favorite arcade racing game for a variety of reasons.

First off the gameplay is extremely smooth and the tilting mechanism works  wonders.  Some people have complained about not having touch based controls but that to me would completely ruin the game.  The turns are smooth and sometimes you have to take your finger off the gas to drift around a corner which is quite exhilarating if there are many cars taking the turn with you.  After each of the 40 tough races in the world cup you get a certain amount of money depending on how well you did and your total ranking place.  With that money you have the option to make your car faster, accelerate faster, and have better grip when turning corners.  Also, you can buy a completely different car if you have saved up enough money.  There are only three different car models, but it takes you a while to get enough money to buy one because you will be buying car upgrades so you can get more money the next race so you can buy a new car.  You can also purchase nitro boosts which of course help you go faster and are extremely useful on the final lap if you are behind in the race.  There are three difficulty levels in the game Amateur, Pro, and Champion each being harder than the previous difficulty level.

The 8-bit scenery in this game is spectacular and you will find yourself in a variety of environmental conditions in the 40 different track locations around the world.  The game can take about 5-6 hours to beat on one difficulty level if you blowing through the game but after your done you can start another game on another difficulty level with harder opponents and more expensive items which makes this a very long and replayable game.

The chip tune music is really catchy and was tailor made exclusively for the game.  I was enjoying the music so much that I would have bought it on Itunes for the same price as the game if it was available!

Overall I would say that this is a must buy for the great price and for the replayability that is offered up in this game.  I give it a 9/10.

Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/8-bit-rally/id441201921?mt=8

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Online Sniper League- Out on 6/14/11

Ever wonder what it would feel like to be a Elite Sniper in charge of killing dangerous criminals?  Well if you do you seriously need mental health because that stuffs not easy!  Fortunately this game makes it possible for anyone to be a sniper without all the danger. 

        The gameplay is what makes this game so unique.  This is basicaly a strategy sniping game.  Now you might be thinking isnt sniping strategic in the first place?? To that I reply shut up and let me finish.  There are a variety of perks and weapons to upgrade and they all can influence your missions succes or failure. To make this even more strategic you can use the perks you saved your blood money up for in Multiplayer to decimate all the not as good players often reffered to as noobs.  You can hire assistants to take out your opponents mercenaries while you try to pick off the parachuters before they hit the ground.  That is the type of action that makes this such a competitive-top of the food chain game.

    As the name suggests this is a online game but is not exclusively limited to online.  There are many other modes that you can play on the go or in your parents basement where there is no internet.

 The First mode is Survival mode where as the name suggests you try to kill as many enemies as you can without being killed in the process.  There is a leaderboard for the amount of days of onsluaght you can withstand and various achievments you can unlock.

  The next mode is Mission mode where you gain more prestige and gold to truly be the bossest boss in town.  These missions can be hard at times but so's life so suck it up.  There are planned updates that will bring more missions so theres no shortage of fun!

  Sandbox mode is where you can train for multiplayer by launching attacks against yourself to make attack plans.  Now that seems kinda stupid but it helps you get behind the eyes of the guy agiainst you in multiplayer.  Its like being psychic withhout being psychic.

   Multiplayer is the real meat and potatoes casserole of this game and is where your training from all the other modes comes in handy.   I have yet to expeirence this mode yet but thats becuase the game is not released yet duh.  There is also a leaderboard you can climb or fall depending on your skills and how much time and money you put into weapons and useful perks.

This game will be out next Tuesday so be looking for it on the Appstore then.  Hope this little behind the scenes peek piqued your intrest in this game that I for one will be looking forward to buying on Tuesday.

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Velocispider- 0.99

Have you ever imagined what a velociraptor and a spider would look like if they were fused together?  The answer is NO you havent! But, the developers over at Retrodreamer apparently have with their culmination of one weeks hard work, Velocispider!  This part-spider, part-velociraptor creature has extremely tasty eggs which an evil CEO wants for breakfast....Sunny Side Up. He will do anything to get these eggs and is willing to send waves of his aquatic robot hybrids to capture them and kill the velocispider.

But our fearless velocispider is not defensless, he just happens to have a CANNON attached to his head! Players will take control of the velocispider by tilting to move him back and forth and holding the screen to charge a super blast. The cannon autofires so all you have to worry about is moving back and forth.  There are a variety of powerups that are dropped from the enemies you kill like the triple cannon and the rapid fire powerup.  The whole game is coated with brilliant pixel art which really makes the game come to life.  The chiptunes playing in the background are amazing and make it seem as though your playing it in an arcade.  Overall there are 20 waves which can be played back to back to get a high score for the Gamecenter leaderboards or you can just play one specific wave you cant beat.  You have three lives and if you lose all three its game over for you and your highscore streak.  This game has very simple gameplay but at the same time is extremly addictive and has you replaying through all the waves to beat your score.  Though it is a little bit loose on content with only 20 waves and no survival mode I definitely recomend it for casual gamers and shoot em up fans.

Overall I give it 4/5 stars.
Itunes Link:http://itunes.apple.com/app/velocispider/id433011745?mt=8

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Worms 2 Armageddon 0.99

Worms. They are absolutely repulsive creatures used only to gross out people and to be placed in your parents spaghetti. But fortunately Team 17 has found a way around that utter repulsivness and has made a hit ios game called Worms 2: Armageddon.  The focus of the game is on your custom made team of  worms uttterly destroying other worms in massive turn based battles. Now this seems like a outlandish concept but the developers pull it off extremely well making it one of my favorite games ever. 

When you first start off in the game you have to make a team that you will play with in all of the different modes.  There are many customizable features to choose from to fully outfit your team from a Angry Birds hat to a Knight's helmet. You can change your teams voice, name, and victory dance.  There are many other customization features but I wont get into that now.

As I mentioned before this is a turnbased war game that can take place with 2 teams or a maxmimum of 4 teams including your own depending on the game type. There are a limited amount of turns and the turns are timed so you have to be quick and accurate. In order to wage total war on your enemies you have many weapons in your arsenal, some to kill savagely and some to escape sudden death.  You can move around freely during your turn but you cant scale high cliffs. Each mode or game setting has a predetermined amount of each weapon that you get. This is where the strategy of the game comes in.  You can use a homing missile to ensure you hit your target or you can use that when you really need it  and use a grenade instead which you have a lot of but cant ensure it hitting the enemy.  That method of strategy is why this is one of my favorite games.

In singleplayer there are four different modes to play:

Quick Game: In quick game you are stuck into a randomly generated level where you battle it out with opponents.  There are three difficulties:Easy, Medium, Hard.

Practice Match: This is a mode with unlimited time and turns.  Here you can practice your strategys or just mess around with shooting weapons to get the hang of them.  This is like a free play mode

Body Count:  This is essentialy a survival mode where you take on all other worms coming at your sole worm.  Fortunatley the enemys health is decreased and yours is increased.

Campaign: There are 30 levels in campaign to play through. You gain coins through playing campaign levels which you can use on the coin shop to get more accesories and weapons.  Coins are easily obtained.

In multiplayer mode there is wifi and blue tooth multiplayer.  In a hotseat game you can use different game styles. Also you can make your own game styles which is very awesome and makes this game replayable for a long time.

Is it worth it?

In my opinion this game is very much worth it at its 0.99 sale price and I highly recommend you check it out on the appstore. There is also a battle pack add-on that has more weapons and campaign missions that is on sale also for 0.99 so i suggest you buy fast.

Score: 9/10

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Mecapix-0.99

This is definitely not a typical puzzle game and has very interesting mechanics that sets itself apart from the rest.   The object in this game is to create your own blocks to destroy other enemy blocks.  In the bottom half of the screen their is a box where you  draw the block shapes neccesary to destroy a enemy.  If you fail to launch a block pattern in time at these constantly moving enemys they take one life out of your 20 lifes per block.  Also you have a limited amount of blocks that are used when you draw the block shapes.  These recharge but that forces you to be precise and skillful thus adding a degree of fast paced strategy to this game.  There are two modes Adventure and Endurance.  Adventure is level based and there is a three star system to encourage you to do better and be more precise.  Endurance mode is basically survival mode where you can compete with high scores.  There are three diffuculties;Easy, Medium,Hard, in the Endurance mode.

Is it worth it?
This is one of my favorite apps on the go and is very cheap for the low price of 0.99. There is plenty of replay value and the developers will be adding more levels and other cool modes. But if you are interested you better buy fast because its on  a introductory sale.

Link:http://appshopper.com/link/mecapix

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