Archive for '8 Star Ratings'
Doodle Jump iPhone Game Review
Posted on 20. Apr, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
Doodle Jump: Addictive heart pounding jumping action.
Version Reviewed: 1.0.3
Developer: Lima Sky
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3.5/5
This is another one of those meant-for-mobile games that fit the iPhone’s casual gaming paradigm near perfectly. 
Doodle Jump is a colourful well-sketched vertical slide game in which you must control a four legged doodled creature to go as high as the sky! Along the way you’ll have to shoot and dodge your way past enemy monsters and obstacles. One fun little feature is a being able to see other users scores while in the game (they’re marked on the right side of the screen). Doodle Jump is challenging enough to have you yelling out when you miss that high score by a completely close proximity.
Although jumping and missing/hitting blocks along the way might seem a little boring eventually, the developer of Doodle Jump as added some extra stuff to make the game interesting. Most notably is the dozens of sketched monsters that you must dodge or tap to shoot at. A slight defect to the game is the lack of an ammo counter or limited amount of bullets, without this the user can continuously tap the screen shooting an endless stream of bullets. 
Luckily there’s not only multiple monsters, but different types of landing pads. Some are moving, some static, and some few even break under your feet (be prepared for swift movement!). You can also give yourself an extra propulsion by hitting one of the springs which are found on the landing pads.
There are some common annoyances with Doodle Jump, the developer is missing some key features. Fear not however as Doodle Jump is in it’s early versions just being added to the app store. Lack of instructions can be a huge defect as some people might not find out about some of the features until later in the game after a few hours of play. There aren’t any settings (i.e. accelerometer or touch control, currently just accelerometer) and although the game pauses if you put the iPod in sleep or get an incoming call, there’s no manual pause.
As for graphics, the name says it all, it’s basically like a student’s doodling placed into an animated game. An although it’s a sketch like graphics set, it looks fantastic and runs smooth as a whistle. There isn’t any background music and it will pause your iPod music on load (although you can double click home and play) yet it comes with some cool sound effects that in my surprised opinion, don’t get annoying.
Final Ratings:
Gameplay: 8/10 – Although not much to it, it follows the iPhone gaming paradigm
Enjoyment: 8/10 – The enjoyment level does start to teter once you’ve mastered the game or just can’t get into it.
Graphics: 8/10 – Simple but smooth and easy on the eyes, user interface is fantastic including an animated menu
Sound: 7/10 – Nothing to say here…
Technology: 7.8/10 – The game runs very smoothly and no glitching in the tilt controls. However some multi touch action to control your character with touch control as well as shooting by tapping would be nice.
Replay Value: 8.3/10 – If you’re a fan of the game, you’re hooked.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Recommended For:
- Casual gaming fanatics
- Parents who want to entertain their kids for a few minutes or even extended length of time in a family-friendly way
- Fans of Scoops, Sky Burger, Papi Jump, Sheepstacker [iTunes Links]
- Fans of accelerometer controlled stack em up or live jumping games
- People who love paying a buck for a darn good game
Further Improvements: (note to the developer)
- In-game pause feature
- Touch control as well as tilt, use multi-touch
- Local as well as online leaderboard/high score
- Information/Instructions page
- Settings
More screenshots here
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The Stone of Destiny iPhone Game Review
Posted on 09. Mar, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
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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Triphids iPhone Game Review
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
Triphids: Dodging. Shooting. Arcade skills
Yes, another retro style arcade game. In Triphids you control a ship that goes around 360 degrees dodging and shooting at enemy spaceships and bosses. 
This app did surprise me as usually I am not a fan of this game style. Bring it into the modern gaming era and Triphids would be a hit. Triphids is a nicely done arcade shooter with two gameplay modes and multiple levels of difficulty.
The story mode is quite long and will leave you entertained for hours, although it can get really difficult. In my personal opinion story mode is better than perpetual mode and brings more value with the boss battles and flying through the solar system.
Graphics are decent but could be better, they’re still in the retro arcade style graphic with little 2D pixelated objects. Which is ok is you’re on for nastalgia but we want modern graphics now 
The spiraling graphics that give you the illusion that you’re travelling through space are perfect and add a nice experience to the game. As for sound, it’s actually pretty good, not annoying like many other arcade games.
All in all if you’re looking for a nostalgic arcade experience, Triphids is an excellent app and I strongly recommend it. If you’re not a fan of arcade games and love intense 3D graphics stay away. This is the perfect arcade game and the price of $1.99 is perfect!
Final Ratings:
Gameplay: 8/10 – The 360 degree shooting experience is a cool thing, lots of bosses and enemies to face.
Enjoyment: 7.5/10 – I enjoyed this mostly, but it does get boring unless you can advance in the game and continuosly beat your high scores.
Graphics: 8/10 – Could be better but it does provide a nice 2D look, the spiralling star background is pretty cool.
Sound: 8.5/10 – No complaints here, all is well.
Technology: 8/10 – You’re able to switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically. Touch controls are decent but could use a little touchup. Great demonstration of the iPhone’s ability of casual gaming.
Replay Value: 8/10 – Story mode is quite long with lots of bosses to beat!
Overall Rating: 8/10
Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)
- Graphics touch-up
- Smooth out touch controls a bit
- More powerups
More screenshots here
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Monospace iPhone Game Review
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
Monospace: Fuel your iPhone addiction with multi-dimensional strategic fun
Monospace is a unique app never before seen in the app store. The 3D strategic experience is sure to give joy to any puzzle fan. The basic objective it to clear a 3D cube of all white mini cubes inside. 
To do this you must drag around a blue cube in between 3D and 2D environments. It might be a little confusing to begin with but the developers have made an awesome tutorial which will allow anybody to play. Now, saying that excluded the fact that this game can be extremely challenging with it’s four difficulty levels and 64 challenges to complete.
The developer has taken a creative idea and executed it into a sleek fun package. Starting off fairly easy and quickly progressing to deep challenges Monospace is a perfect puzzle game for bright minds. I’ll admit at first I had to force myself to play this app, but once I got on a roll this quickly became enjoyable and the 64 levels won’t go by fast (we could really use an undo button [grins]). 
I can’t stress enough of the unique experience Monospace provides, you’re flipping around a 3D object and then zooming into 2D to solve the puzzle. Some extra concepts like a timer, point system, etc… would be a nice touch.
Graphics could use a bit of improvement, can’t complain much some colour would be nice, maybe some background images and patterning. Right now thing’s are looking kinda bleak and give a bad first impression. User interface is fine, no complaints, works perfectly. I haven’t come across any glitches, lagging, or crashing but I have heard of some mishaps going on, none that I’ve experienced. Unfortunately, like many games, Monospace lacks many settings, in this case, any settings. Talking about lacks, where’s the sound!? No background music or sound effects! iPod music is playable although it cuts it out at start. You have to use the mini music player (double click home button).
All in all, if you’re looking for a never-before-done unique experience on your iPhone this is it. Perfect for the puzzle and strategy lover. I strongly recommend Monospace and $1.99 is perfectly priced. Pick it up now
Final Ratings:
Gameplay: 9/10 – Absolutely great concept, some elements could be added but it’s a perfect start
Enjoyment: 8/10 – As said above, I had to force myself into this game but once I got in, I didn’t want out.
Graphics: 6.5/10 – Needs more colour and some patterning + background images. Add more for your eyes to enjoy!
Sound: 1/10 – iPod music is playable so it gets a point. Other than that, no sound. We’re excluding this from the overall rating to keep accuracy
Technology: 8/10 – Everything runs smoothly and this shows some nice capabilites of the iPhone
Replay Value: 9/10 – 64 levels and oh so challenging, this is hard to put down
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
+1 Bonus point – Yes, overall rating is the average rating but sometimes we feel the app deserves more, so we give a bonus point or two! Final Rating: 9.1/10
Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)
- Background images
- Patterning
- More colours
- Sound!
- Settings
- More concepts (noted above, timers, etc…
- Keep up the good work =)
More screenshots here
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Rainbow Ninja iPhone Game Review
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
Rainbow Ninja: Fun ninja speed skillz
If you’re an Internet addict who plays tons of Flash games online all the time you’ve probably played something very similar to Rainbow Ninja. 
The basic objective is to score as many points as possible by choosing the correct colour before time runs out. If you’re a fan of these games, Rainbow Ninja is an excellent choice of app. There’s two ways the app tells you to pick a colour, by giving the name of the colour, or choosing a colour corresponding to the text colour (view the screenshot with instructions). This gets really tricky and you’ll be caught by the timer several times.
As you’ve noticed, the game is immensely simple, but don’t let that fool you, it also immensely difficult. To up the stakes, the developers of Rainbow Ninja are having a contest, they’re giving away $500 dollars to the person who can prove they have the highest score in Rainbow Ninja. Cool huh?
The layout of the menu is simple but smooth. Graphics are amazing (although there’s not much graphics to this game) and sound effects are cool but no background music (iPod music fine though). This app is fine as it is but they’re several improvements that could be made (see out Further Improvements section of the review).
Final decisions, if you’re a fast thinker and like training your brain and that eagle eye of yours, this game is for you. If you’re colour blind (like I am) you will have lots of difficulty playing this game (just a warning). The contest that Rainbow Ninja is offering is probably worth buying the game alone. Rainbow Ninja is a unique experience for the iPhone and is reasonably priced at $1.99
Final Ratings:
Gameplay: 8.5/10 – The concept is simple but this is a creative new gameplay experience for the iPhone.
Enjoyment: 8/10 – If you’re into this game you will enjoy it immensely, if you’re not into thinking fast and want a casual game you might want to try something else.
Graphics: 9/10 – Although simple the graphics are beautifully rendered.
Sound: 8/10 – Sound effects are cool but no background music. iPod music runs well in the background with no lag or crashes.
Technology: 7.5/10 – No crashing, no lagging. Touch controls work perfectly. Would be cool to see some concept of the game with mutli touch or accelerometer though.
Replay Value: 8.5/10 – Continuosly beating your high score and going for the $500 bucks puts in some serious addictive vibes to the game.
Overall Rating: 8.25/10
Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)
- Colour blind support, although this game is wrapped around colours a bit of tweaking would make it friendly to everyone
- Background music
- Difficulty levels
- Worldwide High Score Board
- Settings
- In-game pause
Screenshots here
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Find It! iPhone Game Review
Posted on 31. Jan, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.
Find It!: A different style of app for your iPhone.
Find it! is a “find the differences in the pictures” app. 
Yes it’s a classic puzzle game but nonetheless the developer (incognitek) has done an excellent job on Find It! Find It has tons of different puzzles, I have never done the same one twice. Difficulties range, some are extremely difficult while others you’ll figure out in a few seconds. It would be nice to be able to set your own difficulty level though. At first look, Find It! is an addictive eagle eye app.
However they made the differences (photoshop, different shots) everything turned out perfect. Everything looks like the original photo and doesn’t have huge chunks or differences. You really have to use your eagle eye to pinpoint the differences. The interface is fantastic, no complaints. The scoring system is pretty good, based on how fast you find the differences. Unfortunately the game lacks much settings, and this can be a killer for some people wanting to buy this app. No difficulty levels, no tweaking with the gameplay, etc… A nice addition would be to choose between hints costing points from your score or only having so many hints. In my humble opinion, 
the background music is awful but on that note, sound effects for finding differences and changing photos aren’t too bad.
As for user interface, it’s perfect and the beach styled theme fits the app with flying colours. The few options they have (just sound settings) are located in the app rather then in the iPod’s setting apps (amen developer). Instructions are clear in describing the interface and nobody should have trouble.
All in all, if you’re a fan of this type of puzzle game, hidden object games (i.e. The Stone of Destiny) or enjoy flicking through cute and funny photos, this app is for you. Great casual play, at an…ok price. Would be better priced at $2.99.
Pick this app up though, you won’t be disappointed.
Final Ratings:
Gameplay: 7.5/10 – Not many aspects of the game but the developer executes the concept amazingly
Enjoyment: 8/10 – Once I got into this app I was surprised at the enjoyment level. I’ve never been a huge fan of these games but this one turned the table.
Graphics: 9/10 – The photos are all top-notch quality, and the interface beautiful
Sound: 5/10 – Unfortuantely didn’t like the sound much… We’re excluding Sound from the overall rating
Technology: 7/10 – Great demonstration of the touch screen, unfortunately no multi-touch or accelerometer (tilt) controls
Replay Value: 8.5/10 – Surprisingly addictive and I’ve never played the same puzzle
Overall Rating: 8/10
Further Improvements: (note to the developer!)
- Gallery of all pictures and which you’ve completed. Watermark the ones you haven’t.
- Statistics
- Zoom-in and pan (pinch fingers)
- Fix glitch where you press multiple differences at once (narrow tap area)
- Save game when you exit the app, but change photo so you can’t cheat!
- Make and upload your own photo puzzles
- Lower Price to $2-3 dollars
My high score is 20632, post yours in the comments!
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