“Mystery Mania” is not the type of game that I would typically pick up and play, let alone pay money for. It isn’t a first person shooter, there are no fancy graphics, and the overall theme and story arch is something ripped from a Saturday morning cartoon. After playing for 5 minutes, you may actually start to wonder if this game was made for a 5-year old or that you are just THAT good at games. Brought to us from none other than EA, the game is a point and click adventure, where you find yourself navigating a lost robot named F8 through an old mansion, trying to figure out why/how he got locked up in there in the first place. See, what did I tell you, straight from a Saturday morning cartoon, right? However, as the gameplay progresses, the simple mechanics help keep the pace of the game moving, while the difficulty level slowly starts to ramp up, making for a pretty enjoyable gaming experience.
Hit the jump for more »
C&C Red Alert for iPhone
EA mobile is bringing 5 new games to the App Store. Now you can play NBA Live, EA Sports FIFA 10, Mystery Mania, Boggle and Command & Conquer Red Alert on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Now four of those games I can see being able to port to the iPhone but Command and Conquer? I played that on on the PC and I’m having a hard time envisioning that as a playable phone game, but then it seems they have offered other Command & Conquer games. Upcoming features will include free multiplayer and the Empire of the Rising Sun expansion pack. I’d be interested to hear how it plays from anyone who buys it.
Writing reviews for iPhone games has become increasingly difficult. The first released apps were well received, even if they didn’t really offer much. The fact that we only had to pay anywhere from $.99 cents to $4.99, made for our willingness to expect nothing earth shattering. But as games quickly started pushing the limits of the device, we as consumers started to demand more and more. Soon, an app that we had to shell out $2.99 for really had to deliver, otherwise it was deemed as “not worth it”. I however, beg to differ. If a game is simple, entertaining and doesn’t crash, those criteria alone should make a game “worth it”, even if it costs 1/20 of the cost of a full fledged console game. “Connected” meets all the previously mentioned criteria which makes for a worthy purchase.
Hit the jump for more »
Bowling seems like the perfect fit for the iPhone. Simple game play, touch and accelerometer controls, and a game that everyone understands. It worked incredibly well on the Wii, which quickly became my favorite out of the Wii Sports compilation. I will cut right to the chase with AMF Bowling Pinbusters and say that this isn’t even close to replicating the fun experienced with other bowling games. After just 10 frames of bowling, I wanted to throw my iPhone down a real bowling alley. How could a game that seems pretty simple screw up so badly? Read on to find out.
Hit the jump for more »
The iPhone has proven that it has the capability to compete with the other big boys in the mobile gaming space. With flagship titles such as Assassin’s Creed and Tiger Woods, developers are not shying away from the brainchild of Apple. However, when EA released this year’s version of Madden 2010 on the device, I was fearful. Fearful that a franchise with such a strong following, and one that just released possibly the best console version this year on the PS3 and Xbox 360, was going to fall flat on its face with an under performing version on the iPhone. Well, after playing through one season with the dominant Miami Dolphins (yeah, I said dominant) I can safely say that EA delivered another great addition to their Madden library.
Hit the jump for more »
The iPhone as a platform has really allowed developers to create a new type of game. Rather than spitting out a game for $50- $60, studios can now concentrate on those moments where you have a couple minutes to spare, want to pass the time, and are willing to drop 99 cents. Lifeboat is one of those instances where you won’t find yourself playing for long periods of time. However, it definitely will fill the gaps of your day where you feel compelled to do something other than stare at the girl in front of you at the grocery store.
Hit the jump for more »
Just like with Peggle, I’ll be buying multiple copies of Plants vs. Zombies. I’ve played the game for countless hours on my Mac and now versions are being developed for the iPhone and Xbox Live Arcade. I can guarantee you I’ll be picking up both. The iPhone version should be hitting later this year while the XBLA edition does not yet have a release date.
I’ve always though the iPhone would be an ideal platform for Plants vs. Zombies. The touch controls should work perfectly for positioning your plants and seeds as well as picking up sun drops. I’m sure it’ll work out well with a controller on the Xbox, but just like Peggle before it, I think the iPhone version might be my favorite. We’ll have to wait and see until later this year.
If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon just yet and don’t want to pay to download a copy of the game on your PC or Mac, PopCap will have the game on retail shelves for $19.95. I highly suggest you get this game on some platform, because it could be a Game of the Year candidate.
We’ve all sat there playing the classic Nintendo system and wanted to desperately mash up, modify, and create our own great 8-bit tunes coming out of the TV speakers. Well, with the help of NESynth (an iPod touch/iPhone app) you will be able to do just that, create your own classic Nintendo-like music themes.
At first glance of the application, you see that the interface is just a very simple keyboard, with a few virtual knobs above that to change octave, waveform, and sound effect. When you eventually dive deeper into the app, you’ll see just how versatile this little bad boy is. Add in another keyboard on top of that, and you create awesome 8-bit power chords that make Eddie Van Halen run off into the sunset and give his game away for free.
Hit the jump for more »
I’ve been pouring multiple hours recently into Defender Chronicles on my iPhone. Chillingo has slapped together a pretty damn fun tower defense game mixed with RPG elements. It’s all 2D, so you don’t have to be the best Tower Defense player ever to survive. It’s one of my favorite games of the genre this year.
The best part is how much additional content Chillingo has been adding to the game. They recently added added Episode 7 as a free update and Episode 8 is coming soon as well. Each update brings new maps, enemies, heros, etc. to extend the gameplay even further.
Defender Chronicles is currently on sale for $0.99, so you better run and grab it right away. It’ll definitely suck you in.
For some people, crossword puzzles are the best part of their daily newspaper. Not only does it add value to the paper’s newsstand price, it also provides some stimulus for the brain. Scruzzleword for the iPhone utilizes the classic crossword puzzle format, mixes in some Sudoku and adds a slight twist, but is that enough to warrant a purchase from the App Store?
Hit the jump for more »
Recent Comments