KLICKTOCK

I think it's fair to say by now that KlickTock is a master of creating tiny slices of gaming. Three of the four iOS games the developer has produced have been delightfully tiny experiences that squeak in under two minutes -- Super Search 60 [Free / $0.99], Doodle Find [Free / $0.99] and now ZONR [Free] all clock in at 60-90 seconds per play session. But while the older two are both simple (if charming) hidden object games, ZONR is something more interesting. It's also free, and (spoiler alert) by the end of this review I'll be telling you to download it, so you might as well get a head start. Here's how you play ZONR: You look at a square made of pieces that bear a passing resemblance to tetriminos. You decide in a split second which of those pieces is the largest. You tap it, and then you do it over again with a new square. You keep doing that for 90 seconds, and you're scored along the way. Dead simple, but when you tie in this game's bright, cheery art and a soundtrack by Disasterpeace, you've got something special in your hands. I'm a new fan of Disasterpeace, having just fallen in love with a few of his songs from the upcoming non-iOS title Fez. But you might also recognize his work from the soundtracks of Puzzle Agent, Drawn to Life, or Bonk: Brink of Extinction. He's fantastic at conveying moods with retro-sounding chiptunes, and in ZONR, that mood is abject happiness. As you play ZONR, the sounds play back with cheery notes that fit beautifully with the music. So each time you correctly choose the largest piece, you're rewarded, and each time you miss you're punished with a discordant note. The screen shakes, flashing red, and worse - your multiplier falls. This is one of those arcade games, the ones that let you build up incredible scores by playing perfectly, but that will grab that score back as soon as you make a mistake. Precision isn't enough, though. As you play, that 90 second time limit counts down. So you're pressed to find the biggest piece over and over as the pieces get smaller and smaller, and you need to do it perfectly and quickly. It's a challenge. And that challenge is fun to rise to, frankly. As you improve, you earn Game Center achievements, but more Read More

Whoa, it's Wednesday again. Unfortunately, Brad is still lost to the world of Skyrim, I'm standing on top of a mountain of bodies in MW3, and Jared is, I don't know, watching a Giants game or something. Regardless, we're pulling it all together for this week's pile of game releases. There's some great games out this week too, including a few highly anticipated titles as well as a few surprises… And even some highly anticipated titles we were surprised to see released so soon. Like all weeks, all of these games will be available in the USA at 11:00 PM Eastern, but if you're east of us, chances are they're already released. Age of Zombies Anniversary, 99¢ - Forum Thread - It's Halfbrick's Age of Zombies, but universal and with HD assets for the Retina Display, as well as being universal with full iPad support. Check out our review of the original release. Bullet Time HD, Free - Forum Thread - This cool looking shooter seems to be monetized via IAP. We'll see how optional the IAP actually is, but the graphics do look pretty great for a free to play game. Chickon, Free - From the creators of Galcon comes this crazy free game where you play as chickens battling robots to save roosters. …And it's actually pretty fun. Extraction: Project Outbreak, 99¢ - Forum Thread - This top-down shooter looks incredible. Watch the trailer. No, really, watch it. It features a lengthy campaign, multiple game modes, and tons of unlockables. Homerun Battle 2, $4.99 - Forum Thread - I loved the first Homerun Battle, although things got kind of nuts with the advent of so much IAP equipment. Here's hoping that's not the case with the sequel. Katana Jack!, 99¢ - Forum Thread - The gameplay may seem a little on the simple side, but you can't disregard the fact that the game's art was all done on an iPad is really cool. If only you could export games from Codify, we could potentially play an entirely-iPad-created game. The future! Minecraft Pocket Edition, $7.99 - Forum Thread - This version of Minecraft is limited to creative mode only, but potential updates on the horizon make the official iOS title pretty easy to get behind. Raccoon Rising, 99¢ - Forum Thread - It's this week's vertical jumping platforming game, except, this week's looks better than most. Check out the trailer, Read More

By Leanna Lofte, Sunday, Mar 6, 2011 | Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game. To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break! I’ve always been a huge fan of Digitally Imported, more lovingly known to many as di.fm. I’m an even bigger fan of almost any type of electronic music. It’s the main thing I listen to. I have always streamed from Digitally Imported from iTunes at home and work. The iPhone app for Digitally Imported makes it even easier to listen to all my favorite di.fm stations. I love the fact I can use it in my car or pretty much anywhere that has a sound system I can plug into. And it has multitasking support so even if you close it out, your music will continue streaming. For those of you not familiar with Digitally Imported and love electronic music, make sure you check it out. It is available for free but does offer a premium subscription. Current premium subscribers simply log into their accounts. If you aren’t premium and would like to be, you can always purchase a premium membership in-app as well. Premium members enjoy a much higher bit rate (you really can hear a huge difference). You’ll also be able to access channels like sky.fm that free users can’t access. Even if you decide to stay free, it’s an amazing source for electronic music 24/7! [Free, with in-app purchases - iTunes Link] Firefox 4 is out in Beta for both Windows and Mac. While there are still a few things missing and add ons not yet working, the one thing it does superbly is sync bookmarks with your iPhone or iPad. Setup takes about 12 seconds. If you haven’t already signed up for a Firefox Sync account, it’s as simple as putting in your email address and copying the encryption key for safe keeping. From your Mac or pc, you then click add a device and you get to enter a sync code that comes up the first time you run Firefox Home on your iOS device. While strictly speaking, this is Read More

Growing up I was always excited to to play I Spy with my friends and when the official books came out, I would spend hours digging through the pictures trying to find everything. Though I enjoyed the game, it had never occurred to be that the iPad would be a perfect device for it. Little Things for the iPad is an app that gives you the chance to play I Spy. Instead of just looking for the object and calling it out, you can now touch the object and unlock new shapes. The game is very cartoonish in it’s presentation and I almost wrote it off as an app for kids. But as I got deeper into the game, it became apparent that this type of hide-and-seek gameplay is timeless and can still be enjoyed by someone out of elementary school. As you progress through the game, you will unlock new shapes to search in and the challenges get harder. After collect a certain number of puzzle pieces, you will play a puzzle game to unlock a new shape. Overall, Little Things is a simple and fun game that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike. If you like I Spy, check this app out. Visit Appolicious for more iPhone app reviews and articles. Read More

It’s the last Tuesday episode for LOST ever so before I indulge myself in some emotional show viewing, here are a couple more FREE games you can download today: “Have you ever watched a football game and wondered how a kicker could miss such an easy field goal attempt? Now is your chance to show them how it’s done! Test your skills in 6 rounds from varying distances, each with 10 kick attempts.” “Doodle Find is a social hidden object game. Compete against your friends – and the world – via online leaderboards powered by Facebook Connect. Each game takes only 90 seconds, so it’s perfect for a spot of procrastination between tasks, or for when you know your train is just two minutes away.” Get at EM or/and watch Lost with me Read More