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iPhone App $0.99 Our Review By Rob Rich on July 20th, 2011 Rating: :: SOMEWHAT SHALLOW FUN The Dungeon Saga takes players by the hand and guides them, yet again, through a fantasy world where everything is resolved with puzzles. Developer: Price: $1.99 Version: 1.0 App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS Graphics / Sound User Interface Gameplay Re-use / Replay Value Overall Rating: Puzzle/RPG hybrids have become somewhat of a popular genre. Of course, it seems like almost every category of game is trying to shoehorn some kind of RPG elements into their mechanics these days, but the level-building and loot-grinding really goes well with shape-matching and block-clearing. Sort of like peanut butter and chocolate. Riding this delicious, delicious wave is The Dungeon Saga: a similar kind of hybrid that does scratch the itch, but doesn’t make it go away completely. It’s impossible to play or even look at The Dungeon Saga without thinking about , so I won’t try to skirt the issue. The two games are indeed very similar, but The Dungeon Saga offers up a simpler and more streamlined experience. Whether or not “simpler” also means “better” depends on the player, but I think there’s more than enough room on the App Store for both so I won’t waste any more time talking about which trumps which. One thing that really impressed me about The Dungeon Saga was the intro. The wordless, cartoony video conveyed just enough story, along with plenty of humor, to draw me right in. Choosing a class (Warrior or Wizard) and a difficulty (Easy, Normal or a skull) took mere seconds and then it was time to start dungeoneering. Both classes have access to their own individual skill sets, along with other more obvious differences, which make them feel distinct. Playing through as each character at least once is pretty much a given. Each of the monster hang-outs is depicted as a winding (but still linear) map, with encounters and other obstacles (and treasures) shown along the preset path. Running into an enemy will trigger a fight, and from there it’s all about dragging a finger across groupings of the same icon in order to smite, heal and defend. As smooth as the experience is, The Dungeon Saga still runs into one pitfall: accuracy. The icons on the puzzle board are rather small, which makes for more than a few occasions where I didn’t hit Read More

This week in another splendid episode of TAS, we discuss a lot of different stuff. Puppies and big quads leads off the discussion, as Jared paints us a word picture of his visit to EA HQ in Redmond, CA. Later, we dive into the games he saw at the event and the news that broke during it, and we also find the time to talk about beards, F2P, rat infested trees, and the hottest games on our minds. Captain America even rears his red, white, and blue head in a podcast that tends to go off the rails at the oddest of times. You can listen just below, of course, via direct download or stream. You could also give us a listen via the iTunes podcast aisle or the Zune Marketplace, as doing so awards more experience points than streaming it especially if you rate us. (And very well might be part of the iTunes podcast featuring voodoo!) Need some show notes? We got your back. Below you’ll find all the relevant links to our discussion topics, including reviews to some of the games we talked about. Convenient! GAMES FRONT PAGE iTunes Link: Devils at the Gate: Total Resistance is a TD game based on a war scenario between the Patriots and the Devils. Players are required to rationally manage the Patriots to combat the Devils. Game characters are witty, and pictures are exquisite. What has made this game even remarkable is that this game uses different perspectives effect, an unprecedented innovation to TD game in the market. We believe this game will render players a totally new experience! Twitter:   #11   Today, 02:04 AM Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 942 The lag got really bad then it crashed!! Also sometimes it is flipping 2 cards from the deck instead of just 1! I hope you can fix this soon!   #4   Yesterday, 03:23 AM Moderator iPhone 4, iOS 5.x Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 3,904 Quote: Originally Posted by damn it, couldn't make their app universal ? I was really hoping they would give the HD version a universal update, currently it's priced the same as the iPad version so I'm not sure if that's likely to happen. I really want to pick this up but I'll probably wait and see if the pricing drops or of the hd does get an update Read More

Browsing the App Store this weekend?  Here are ten new or updated apps for the iPhone and iPad worth taking a closer look at if you are: An iPad application based on those sliding square games where a picture gets jumbled up and it’s down to you to re-arrange it.  This uses stunning wildlife photography shot by Australian photographer Dominyk Lever.  $1.99/£1.19. A recently updated augmented reality browser, where everything from games to shopping and travel to real estate can be viewed through the screen on your iPhone.  Being an augmented reality app, you’ll need a 3GS for this app to function correctly.  Free. An Pad adaptation of the existing iPhone crossword game.  There are 750 crosswords to complete, with three difficulty levels, full screen view and portrait or landscape play option.  $9.99/£5.99. The title says it all really, as this application will teach you all you need to know about folding paper to form mini works-of-art!  Kids and adults alike will enjoy this little app, and all the origami pieces have both detailed instructions and video tutorials.  Free. A classic vertically scrolling shoot-em-up for the iPad, with eleven levels, plenty of weapons, three difficulty modes, seven bosses to defeat and more than forty regular enemies.  $1.99/£1.19. A puzzle game which has made its way to the iPhone from the Gameboy Advance.  The idea is to slide blocks around the screen, join them with others of the same colour and solve the puzzle.  It looks like brain-teasing stuff!.  $4.99/£2.99. The latest version of the soccer game, just in time to catch World Cup fever.  This is as comprehensive as it gets, with 150 club teams, 30 competitions, multiplayer over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, plus improved UI.  $6.99/£3.99. An organisational app designed for parents with newborn children.  There is everything from sleep patterns to feeding charts, plus plenty of ways to personalise the app with audio, video and social networking integration.  $5.99/£3.49. A helpful application for parents who want to check the ratings information on video games.  PEGI is supported by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, along with many developers and publishers, and the app contains at least 20,000 games and advice on each.  PEGO is a European body, but relevant all over the world.  Free. Adam Curry gives a look at a new application for the iPhone each day and demos it for you in this new video show.  Free. Read More

Ryan Petrich veröffentlich über den Cydia-Store seine $5 US-Dollar-Software ‘Display Recorder’, die alle Eingaben an den iPhone-Bildschirm in einem Video aufzeichnet. Nachdem die Aktivierung für den Mitschnitt veranlasst wurde, die sich mittels ‘Activator’ auch mit verschiedenen Gesten oder Button-Belegungen initiieren lässt, werden alle Homescreen-Bewegungen oder die Benutzung von App Store-Anwendungen abgespeichert. Die daraus entstandenen AVI-Dateien lassen sich über einen Webserver (IP-Adresse im ‘About’-Feld der App) oder über SSH (/Libary/DisplayRecorder/) vom Gerät holen. Auch ein direkter YouTube-Upload ist möglich. In den Einstellungen lässt sich die Qualität der Aufnahme (inklusive OpenGL-Unterstützung) festlegen. Neben der Framerate bestimmt der Optionspunkt ‘Video Qualität’ die Größe der erzeugten Dateien. Für die Dokumentation von einer Minute und 30 Sekunden beim App Store-Shooter Roswell Fighter (0.79 €; App Store-Link) fallen, entsprechend den Einstellungen, Daten in den Größen 250MB (High), 106MB (Medium) und 41MB (Low) an. Je nachdem für was und wo das Video Verwendung finden soll, ist die Qualitätsstufe anzupassen. Das gilt auch für die Bildschirmrotation (Portrait, Upside Down, Landscape Left/Right), die individuell pro Aufnahme in den Optionen umgestellt werden kann. Leider wird in der jetzigen Version noch kein Sound aufgezeichnet. Dafür finden die Fingereingaben als weiße Punkte ihre symbolisierende Position, so das sich ohne großen Aufwand recht feine Screencasts (ohne Simulator) produzieren lassen. Anbei ein verkürzter YouTube-Upload der komprimierten Testaufzeichnung. Aufzeichnungen des Audiomaterials werden wohl ausbleiben. Read More

Published: May 18, 2010 Comment         If you’re an old school gamer, then I’m sure you have some appreciation for top down shooters. Back in the day they were the staple of arcades everywhere. You hopped into your virtual plane and/or spaceship, and went to town on thousands of bad dudes. Well Roswell HD hopes to scratch that old school itch, with some modern game design touches of course. Roswell sticks pretty tightly to the top down shooter formula. Simply put the formula is: airplane + massive amount of bad dudes = chaotic fun. You are tasked with surviving as the camera constantly pushes you forward towards the end of level. You are given a few lives, each containing a limited amount of health. Of course there are all kinds of crazy power ups dispersed throughout the level. There are extra ships that come to reinforce you, wider and more powerful shots for your ship, health and life power ups and plenty more. There is a ton of different types of enemies in the game, which is important in a game like this, because if enemy variety is lacking, the game will get old super quick. Each enemy has their own subtle things they do, and it is important that you learn how each one moves in order to avoid being killed. A nice modern touch added to Roswell HD is moving obstacles in the level. One in particular that stands out are the giant rotating buzz saws. This really adds a new layer of challenge because not only is there issue of a million enemies flying around from every direction, but there is also giant objects that will kill you just as efficiently. The controls in Roswell are simple, and pretty effective. You simply touch anywhere on the screen and move your finger in the direction you want the plane to travel. The shooting is all handled automatically, meaning your ship is constantly firing. Your job is simply to avoid enemy fire and put your ship in a location where it can hit the enemies. It works fairly well, but i did find my fingers and hands getting in my way. The frantic nature of the game makes it so you really need to see every inch of the screen, and having my hand in view caused me to get shot on a number of occasions. I honestly can’t Read More

There's been a host of high profile vertical shooters released on the App Store, from the hardcore Espgaluda II [$8.99 / Free] to the whimsical Doodle Flight [99¢, but one game that's quietly flown under the radar is Gamelab's Roswell Fighter [99¢ / Free / $1.99 (HD)]. Released last October, it offered solid shooting action, exceptional graphics, and a charming theme thick with 1950's UFO paranoia that managed to win over a modest group of fans despite not getting much exposure. With a recent update adding two brand new levels and a native iPad version released last week, now is a great time to give Roswell Fighter a look. The action in Roswell Fighter is above average, although nothing groundbreaking. Using either touch or tilt controls, you'll pilot your plane across 11 different levels, doing your best to blast down an onslaught of aliens who are invading Earth. Your main cannon can be upgraded multiple times, and a few special weapons can be collected throughout the game to further enhance your offense. One such weapon uses collected orange stars dropped by defeated enemies to fill a gauge that unleashes a devastating laser. Another brings two wingmen to your aid for a short time, increasing your firepower to nearly the whole width of the screen. And of course, there's a screen clearing bomb you can collect and use. It's pretty standard stuff, but enjoyable nonetheless. The developer does throw in some elements to break up the more traditional gameplay, with mixed results. At times, a short “quick time event” will pop up and task you with appropriately pressing a series of buttons in order to continue on. It's a nice idea, but ultimately feels too simplistic to really add much to the gameplay besides a brief break in the shooting. Other times you'll be avoiding environmental hazards, such as giant saws and gears, or a maze-like path of mines. These sequences actually test your ability to fly precisely, and feel a bit more successful than the QTE portions. At the very least it's nice to see a developer trying some new ideas while treading such familiar territory. While the gameplay itself is certainly engaging enough, it's the look and style that really sets Roswell Fighter apart from other shooters. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed, and look especially crisp on the iPad. The enemies are all rendered in 3D, and despite some slightly Read More

...are coming and the only one who can stop is you! Using your trusty World War 2 airplane upgraded with salvaged tech it’s time to take down the baddies! And may the spirit of Rock and Roll guide you in the struggle against the invaders in Roswell Fighter... Read More

28 Oct 2009 alle 18:29 Eccoci ad un nuovo appuntamento con , la rubrica in cui vi elenchiamo le migliori applicazioni dell’AppStore che vengono scontate per un periodo di tempo limitato. E’ possibile che durante la giornata vengano aggiunte altre applicazioni in questo stesso articolo, quindi per rimanere sempre aggiornati vi invitiamo ad iscrivervi al nostro FEED RSS tramite il vostro lettore, oppure con Google Reader cliccando su questo pulsante: . Il gioco di Baseball di Gameloft con una buona grafica e dei buoni controlli. Un must have per tutti gli appassionati. Recensione iSpazio. Passa da 3,99€ a 0,79€. [Link iTunes] . Un bel giochino di combattimenti aerei molto simile al più famoso Siberian Strike.  Passa da 2.39€ a 0.79€. [Link iTunes] . Un bellissimo gioco di strategia in tempo reale. Se non lo avete ancora provato vi consiglio di farlo adesso approfittando del prezzo. Recensione iSpazio. Passa da 1,59€ a 0,79€. [Link iTunes] . Un gioco italiano davvero ben fatto. E’ un puzzle game nel quale ci troveremo ad aiutare un giovane vampiro a diventare il re della terra dei mostri, spostando e facendo ruotare dei blocchi al fine di creare file e colonne di 4 o più oggetti dello stesso tipo. Passa da 1,59€ a 0,79€. [Link iTunes] . Read More