$3 | iPhone App Reviews by iPhone App Reviewer

Chickie Dominos iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 28. Aug, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

2

Chickie Dominos: A classic domino game executed perfectly on your iPhone.

Our Rating: 8.4/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.1
Developer: Mindlube Games:
Price as of Review: $2.99
Current iTunes Rating: 4/5
Size: 17MB

Chickie Dominos is an iPhone version of the classic domino’s game “Chicken Foot.” I’ve had the lucky opportunity to play chicken foot before every seeing Chickie Domino’s, and let me say Mindlube Games have done an excellent job porting this to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The goal of the game is to use all your dominos before your opponent does, the rules can be complex however Chickie Dominos teaches you perfectly how to play. Now it’s just strategy on your part. For competition, you can play against a very well programmed computer opponent of three difficulty levels, or a hot-seat mode where you can pass your phone over to a friend and play.

The game overall is very enjoyable, the entire thing is on a multi-dimensional board with ability to pan, and zoom. Even though the board can get very cluttered, whenever you place a domino it will automatically adjust the board to fit. A game can last for around 20 minutes, each game consists of seven rounds and points are added to the loser every round. This scoring system can change the face of the game at anytime, Chickie Dominos is pretty hard to get bored of. Even if you do and want to come back a few days later, your last game will be saved for you to pick up off.

Chickie Dominos has a global score board for the best games to be uploaded to – it does this fast and quick; the entire app doesn’t seem to have any stability problems. The graphics are farmyard themed, a lot of people aren’t going to like this so secondary theme options would be nice. Nonetheless the graphics are all pretty smooth and render perfectly in the immersing environment. The background music is extremely annoying, luckily it can be turned off separate to the sound.

All in all, Chickie Dominos is one of the best domino games I’ve seen on the iPhone, and Mindlube Games has done an amazing job porting this to the iPhone. This app will not be deleted from my iPhone – how about you?

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 9.6/10 – Tons of gameplay, perfect rendition of Chicken Foot.

Enjoyment: 8.9/10 – I really enjoyed playing Chicken Foot in the non-digital world, Chickie Dominos has not disappointed.

Graphics: 7/10 – Could be improved just a tad, additional themes would be nice.

Sound: 5/10 – Sound effects are all right, background music is deplorable but luckily can be turned off.

Technology: 9/10 – Great job, perfect interface including pan and zoom multi-touch controls. No stability issues found.

Replay Value: 7.9/10 – A game can last quite a while (for iPhone app standards) so you won’t get bored of this for at least a few days. I’m still addicted anyways…

Overall Rating: 8.4/10 – 0.5 bonus points added.

Further Improvements (Note to the developer!)

Additional themes
Additional background music
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth multiplayer rather than just hotseat

More screenshots on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page.

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Wacky Worlds Mini Golf Game App Review

Posted on 15. Aug, 2009 by thetraynor.

2

Wacky Worlds Mini Golf: Just one Wack away from being on Par!

Our Rating: 9/10 – Thumbs Up! [Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.0
Developer: Glu Mobile Inc.
Price as of Review: $2.99
Current iTunes Rating: 4.5/5

Okay, so Wacky Worlds Mini Golf. Intriguing game that takes your average mini golf to a whole new level. With stunning graphics (for an iPhone at least) that are eye catching and a control system that is simple and captivating this game will keep you entertained for hours on end without you even knowing it. The simple yet amazingly effective touch controls allow you to control every aspect of your putting, to a tee (lets see how many people will get the golf puns).

Lets talk fun here. This game is fun, for someone who loves golf or someone who doesn’t even play golf. It’s got awesome little animations that keep you intrigued and some very cool holes along the courses. The best part is after 9 awesome holes on some of the coolest and most captivating digital courses you’ve ever seen, you’ll just want more.

My one and only problem with this app, and trust me its not something to worry about, is that every time you start it up it asks you what language you want to play in. Now this is awesome for people who can speak any of the other languages offered (assuming that the majority of players will be speaking English), but for those who don’t, there should be an option to save your choice..

How to shoot par next round: (Further Improvements)

-Make it so you can save your language
-When you choose just to play is defaults as the woman (and I’m not sexist) but the ability to choose or create your own character from there would be a cool idea

This apps to good to point out whats wrong with it…

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 9.5/10 – Total awesomesauce, addicting, fun, I love it

Enjoyment: 9.9/10 – I still keep coming back, totally beats any game I’ve played

Graphics: 8.9/10 – Great graphics, simple, looks amazing

Sound: 9/10 – I can turn it off, I’m happy (not that the music is bad)

Technology: 6/10 – All touch based, but this doesn’t affect my over all rating

Replay Value: 9.9/10 – Love it, I play AT LEAST daily

Overall Rating: 9/10

That’s all from me for today,

-thetraynor

Follow me on twitter @thetraynor

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Triple Shot Sports iPhone Game Review

Posted on 01. Jun, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

8

Triple Shot Sports: The most frustrating app you will ever have fun with.

Version Reviewed: 1.2
Developer: The Code Monkeys
Price as of Review: $2.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3.5/5

Triple Shot Sports is your source of olympic style shooting for the iPhone. The app contains three different game modes, Rapid Fire Pistol, Running Target, and of course my favourite, Archery. Triple Shot Sports provides a very realistic experience with more than satisfactory 3D graphics and a rich sporting experience. There’s tournament and quick play game styles that allow you to compete at different skill levels, lead a country, and earn achievements. Triple Shot Sports is one of the most realistic games I’ve played on the iPhone, and even though it sparkles with the iPhone’s capabilities as a desktop gaming platform, it’s the perfect pick up and play solution.

Although it all sounds great Triple Shot Sports is bogged down with some serious annoyances. The control scheme concept is perfect but executed by the developers quite poorly. Lots of glitches and lag with the aiming process and although it makes for a harder and more realistic experience, parts of the game can be quite frustrating (i.e. fouls on the rapid fire pistol). Nonetheless Triple Shot Sports is worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of any of the games. The developers even included more factors to the game such as wind, moving targets, velocity, etc… all which you have to account for if you wish to get that 1st place.

Even with the occasionally annoying touch controls the game is quite stable. It has never crashed for me in the time I’ve played it for this review. Even with the immensely complex graphics the app handles it beautifully, even the user interface is near-perfect. Once things are improved, Triple Shot Sports is definetely something you should check out, enjoy.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 9.8/10 – So much to do, perfect sporting fun

Enjoyment: 6.9/10 – Great fun but the annoyances bog it down

Graphics: 9/10 – Pretty darn good!

Sound: 8/10 – The sound effects dynamically change and aren’t annoying

Technology: 4.9/10 – So many glitches

Replay Value: 7/10 – Very good while you play it but not something you get heavily addicted to

Overall Rating: 7.6/10

Recommended For:

Target games like Archery
A fan of challenging pick up and play games

Further Improvements: (Note to the developer)

Drastically smooth out/improve touch controls!!

More screenshots here

Other Reviews of Triple Shot Sports Here:

Why does iPhone App Reviewer link to other reviewing sites? Because if you’re not 100% satisfied with the quality of our review, then we encourage you to go elsewhere. The point of iPhone App Reviewer is to give you an honest, open opinion of the application.

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The Stone of Destiny iPhone Game Review

Posted on 09. Mar, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

1

The Stone of Destiny: You will enjoy this game to the end and over and over again.

The Stone of Destiny is a classic puzzle game in which you’re on a scavenger hunt to find a list of objects on a detailed photograph. This app was surprisingly addictive and although the storyline is very long and allows playing the game for days you’ll want to zip through it. The objective is simple, go through a multitude of various locations, each with a different photograph with a list of “hidden” objects to find. The game is similar to the children’s classic time killer “Where’s Waldo?“ To add some pizazz to the game, they’re a few mini games along the way between puzzles to get your cranium pulsing.

This app is extremely well developed and each photograph is detailed and challenging. Although some little features are lacking here and there the developers executed an original concept perfectly. To add some more enthusiasm to the game, a storyline has been added with clever comic strip like screenplays in between puzzle milestones. The storyline is a perfect little children’s story that will entertain your children on top of the app’s gameplay. A problem I had though, is that the game is too easy. Each level is timed but the time given is way more than enough, and you could probably solve the puzzle just by waiting for each available hint. Difficulty levels should be added.

The graphics and user interface are great, as noted above, the photographs are very detailed and look generally perfect. The storyline screenplays set the mood just right and each strip is excellently drawn. The game doesn’t lag and has very few glitches. Overall a superbly developed app. If you’re a fan of hidden object games definitely check this one out. Puzzle fanatics should also give it a go!

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8/10

Enjoyment: 9/10

Graphics: 8.5/10

Sound: 7/10

Technology: 7.5/10

Replay Value: 9/10

Overall Rating: 8.2/10

Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)

Difficulty levels
More mini games
Pinch to zoom not a single toggle zoom button
Sequel!

More screenshots here

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Chess Pro iPhone Game Review

Posted on 20. Jan, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

0

Chess Pro: The digital version of that shiny crystal chess set

From the creators of WordsWorth comes a spectacular chess game. Chess Pro has your standard chess and but throws in some extra versions of chess (suicide and losers) to make it more unique. Chess Pro is even more feature packed with three different boards and three difficulty levels. The AI (artificial intelligence) is very good, truly taking iPhone programming to the next level. That being said, they’re some glitches that disrupt game play and can even end the game when it’s nowhere near over (this rare occurance denies your game pieces the ability to move around the board). All in all, my compliments to Chess Pro, I’ve never been a fan of chess but on the iPhone under this app, I found it enjoyable.

The user interface is marvelous and in most places the graphics are quite good (although it’s just chess, not much to see here folks!). The game has some cool sound effects that fit the style perfectly. No background music though which is a bit of a disappointment (why not something calming that gets your brain thinking?) although you can easily play your iPod music. The techno sound played when moving a game piece can be annoying and they should have different sounds for the black pieces, white pieces, when a game piece is conquered, etc… For game events like ’stalemate,’ ‘checkmate,’ and ‘check,’ a friendly notification animates into the screen with a flip. The menu around the board is very friendly and under my favourite board theme, metallic, looks spectacular. There’s an undo, hint, and save game feature. You may have up to five game slots so you can run many games at once, nice for when you want to play by yourself, but want to start another game with a friend in the two player mode.

Final recap of Chess Pro, it’s a nice chess app, probably one of the best in the app store with a few glitches but an array of features. It would be nice to see a complete twist on the concept of chess to make this a truly unique app. Recommended to any fan of chess or strategy games. This is worth the $3.99 but there is a lite version for a buck pictured here, basically it lacks settings, and variants of the game.

Overall Ratings:

Gameplay: 7.5/10

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Graphics: 8.5/10

Sound: 7/10

Technology: 7/10

Replay Value: 8.5/10

Execution of Concept: 9/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)

Fix glitch noted above, stuck pieces
A new concept to just plain old chess
Background Music
Different sound effects (noted above)
Wi-fi multiplayer
Statistics – Wins/Loses, Quickest and Longest Checkmate, etc…

More screenshots available here

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Frenzic iPhone Game Review

Posted on 08. Jan, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

3

Frenzic: Mountains of fast paced logical fun

Frenzic is a unique puzzle game where thinking fast is very important. This refreshing game is perfect for time killing and completely worth the $4.99. The main goal is to score points by placing triangles in six circles. You must think on your feet to decide which circle is best. The more similar coloured triangles in a whole circle the more points you’ll recieve. It almost sounds boring and corny but the execution of the app and the whole fast paced concept will keep you entailed.

They’re a few powerups in the game that you must use if you want to succeed. The global (requires registration) and local high scores keep you motivated with a few categories of scores ( devotion, total points, etc…. You’re also able to see the high scores of any iPod touch or iPhone playing frenzic on the same network. Perfect for playing tournaments with peers.

Despite it’s simple concept Frenzic is surprisingy addictive but the enjoyment level drops gradually. Nonetheless the thrill of beating your high score is still there (as for any game but puzzle games like this especially). If you are into puzzle games I recommend Frenzic. Good brain exercising.

The graphics are well done, you know the developer put time into this game. Sound effects are delightful and you’re able to play your own iPod music as well. High scores table is well done, that’s about the only thing for user interface as when you start the app it gets straight into the game. Although there is a center start button and a small menu on the bottom. Navigating through frenzic is an enjoyable experience.

Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)

More Powerups
Difficulty levels (i.e. Harder levels would have more colours, even faster gameplay, swap circles, rotate circles)
Patterned triangles, choice of background image or colour

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8/10
Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Technology: 7/10
Replay Value: 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.7/10

Lots more screenshots here