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Match 3D Flick Puzzle iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

Match 3D Flick Puzzle: Adding dimensions to the classic match ‘em up game.

Our Rating: 8.3/10

Version Reviewed: 1.05.14
Developer: PlayScreen [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $3.99
Current iTunes Rating: 4.5/5
Size: 9.6MB
Lite Version: [iTunes Link]

Match 3D Flick Puzzle is a creative pick up and play game which adds a few new concepts to classics like Bejeweled [iTunes Link]. The objective remains the same, score as many points as possible by matching three of the same objects or more. To do this simply tap the first object and then an adjacent object, the two will swap and (hopefully) form a pair. Like word search puzzles you need a good eye and in the case of Match 3D, you need fast timing.

The quicker you scout for matches the longer you’ll last in the game, once the timer reaches the end in either Classic or Survival mode, the game is over. By racking higher combination’s and more matches at the same time, you’ll receive time bonuses. The unique and spectacular concept for Match 3D Flick Puzzle is the completely 3D gameplay. Rather then matching objects on a 2D surface, you have to match them on six faces of a cube. You can even select a specific part inside the cube and look for matches internally.

The entire interface uses full multi-touch controls that allow you to pinch to zoom, rotate, and swipe around the cube to manipulate your perspective view. Combination’s can be created from multiple planes making this a very intriguing game. The graphics are excellently rendered and don’t become pixelated when you zoom in all the way on the cube. The sound effects match the theme perfectly however a lot of people will find the background music annoying, you can easily play your own iPod music without stability problems. The only glitches I’ve been able to find are a few touch interface glitches (unresponsiveness, etc), all of which are pretty rare and shouldn’t affect gameplay.

All in all Match 3D Flick Puzzle is an amazing new perspective on the classic match ‘em up gameplay concept. For four dollars Match 3D can provide you with hours of fun – definitely check this one out. This app will not be deleted off my iPod for a long while.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 9.2/10 – A whole new gameplay concept.

Enjoyment: 7.8/10 – My judgement is a little biased here as I’ve played so many match ‘em up games, however Match 3D has trapped my attention.

Graphics: 8.5/10 – Excellently rendered and friendly on the eyes.

Sound: 6.4/10 – Not the greatest.

Technology: 9/10 – Excellent multi-touch interface.

Replay Value: 8.7/10 – Can be very addicting.

Overall Rating: 8.3/10

Further Improvements: (Note to the developer!)

Tilt controls to manipulate cube
Multiple background music tracks

Screenshots of Match 3D Flick Puzzle on the iPhone App Reviewer Flickr Page.

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iSoccer Backstreet iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 05. Sep, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

iSoccer Backstreet: Freestyle soccer on your iPhone/iPod Touch.

Our Rating: 7.5/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Developer: Artificial Life Inc. [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $1.99 [On Sale]
Current iTunes Rating: 3/5
Size: 53MB
Lite Version: [iTunes Link]

iSoccer Backstreet is a creative soccer themed application with a few different mini games and one major course of gameplay. The goal is basically to beat the game and have as many points earned as possible by the end of it. Once finished (or even before so) you can go online in the Trix mode and beat all the competition (global high score boards). The journey to being successful is long however, you’ll go through vigorous training and need some serious skill to beat the whole game; though it is rather short.

The main gameplay style is basically a version of hackey-sack…on steroids. Keep the soccer ball up as long as possible while scoring points by making different combination’s. Executing tricks will take some practice but luckily iSoccer Backstreet has a great interactive tutorial to help you along the way. Then you get to cool off with some mini-game action.

Although gameplay can run a little short, repetitive and trivial at some points, it can be generally enjoyable. The developers over at Artifical Life have done a great job on the graphics and especially the control scheme…although future enhancements would be nice. Some people I’ve tested the app with have not liked the way you manipulate the ball, a tilt control interface would be a great option. The sound effects are very immersing and really give the backstreet soccer ambiance. The game is all about indy soccer and iSoccer Backstreet takes real soccer down a peg.

All in all iSoccer Backstreet has some intriguing indy soccer gameplay and is definitely worth taking a look at.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 6.5/10 – It does mix it up quite a bit but things get very trivial.

Enjoyment: 7.7/10 – Nonetheless this was a unique app that provided a refreshing experience.

Graphics: 9/10 – Greatly detailed 3D graphics.

Sound: 9/10 – Truly spectacular sound effects.

Technology: 7/10 – We dock some points due to some sluggishness and glitches -especially on loading time and on menus.

Replay Value: 6/10 – Things can get very trivial, very fast.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Further Improvements:

Longer overall gameplay
More mini games
Additional control schemes
Fix misc. glitches
Improve speed and loading time.

Screenshots of iSoccer Backstreet on Flickr.

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Must.Eat.Birds iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

Must.Eat.Birds: Addictive gameplay on great cartoon graphics.

Our Rating: 8.3/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.2
Developer: Mediatonic [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3.5/5
Size: 6.7MB

Must Eat Birds is a new game with a phenomenal pick up and play paradigm. The goal of the game is to defend your picnic from birds but launching cartoon monsters at them through a slingshot. In either Mission or Challenge mode this sounds incredibly stupid but it’s really incredibly good fun. Mediatonic did a great job on the theme of the app, I was expecting some awful stuff when I read the game description but the first impression and beyond really got to me.

The mission mode contains 18 levels, most of which will leave you incredibly frustrating and you’ll receive the “oh-so-close” addictiveness. An average level will take several tries and there’s enough gameplay material to have you playing for days. Unfortunately you don’t get any skip levels which means quite a few will throw away this game instantly, and I can’t blame them, although cheating it does restrict the gameplay to the players who just can’t beat certain levels.

Gameplay is a little bleak, pretty much you’re tapping and sliding, there’s a lot of angles and strategy. The rules go a little beyond just hitting birds. If you want to earn some serious points you’ll need to take advantage of the multipliers, the moment one of your monsters has missed it’s target(s) you lose your multipliers. This makes the gameplay very challenging, especially in some of the missions which limits the number of monster ammo you have.

Challenge mode is very freestyle but also very trivial, the goal is just to score as many points as possible before losing all four lives. Unfortunately it’s a tad pointless as playing in mission mode is pretty much the same thing but more rewarding. The graphics in Must Eat Birds are probably some of the greatest rendered cartoon graphics I’ve seen on the iPhone. Everything is smooth and colourful, the game is meant for Japanese viewers as well which means there’s some Japanese text around the game but it actually fuels the theme. Some people however may not like it (would recommend a Japanese or English option in settings).

All in all Must.Eat.Birds is a great game that’s considerably addicting and perfect to play anywhere. I’d highly recommend picking this one up – only a buck.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8.5/10 – Pick up and play with lots of concepts.

Enjoyment: 7.2/10 – I did enjoy it quite a bit but it’s no Trism.

Graphics: 8.6/10 – Great cartoon graphics.

Sound: 8/10 – Not very annoying and really fits the theme.

Technology: 9/10 – No stability problems or glitches. Open Feint support.

Replay Value: 8.7/10 – Addicting and 18 different missions.

Overall Rating: 8.3/10

Further Improvements:

Even more missions
More gameplay modes.

More screenshots of Must.Eat.Birds. on our Flickr Page.

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MusIQ iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

MusIQ: A fast paced addicting trivia twist!

Our Rating: 7.5/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.21
Developer: Wim Haanstra [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3/5
Size: 2.5MB

You’re going to need a large amount of music on your iPhone for this app. MusIQ is a trivia app that pulls music from your library and plays small segments of random songs. Your goal is to select the correct song corresponding the what’s playing, before the time runs out. The amount of time left also corresponds to the amount of points you’ll receive for choosing the correct song. Based on the round mode, an incorrect answer will either end the game or defect your points from rising. MusIQ has a local score board, and if logged on to the Open Feint system, a global high score board, and even achievements.

MusIQ is a highly enjoyable game to kill loads of time and can be very addicting. It’s unfortunately flawed by some serious stability problems and an annoyingly glitchy menu. The Open Feint integration is really cool, it allows you to send comments to friends and the developer, track high scores, and personal achievements. MusIQ has a bunch of achievements for you to strive for, some which can be quite challenging!

Overall MusIQ has a beautiful but glitchy interface, and amazingly addictive gameplay that the whole team at iPhone App Reviewer has enjoyed, we’re looking forward to anything else the developer comes out with. For only a buck, MusIQ is a great deal for any music lover. What’s next for MusIQ on our devices? Well we’re gonna sync hundreds of classic music pieces and have one frustrating challenge.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8/10 – Simple but effective, an awesome concept.

Enjoyment: 8.6/10 – Really enjoyed this one.

Graphics: 7/10 – A very aesthetically appealing interface.

Sound: 8.2/10 – Plays your iPod music perfectly directly from the library (requires 3.0 firmware)

Technology: 6/10 – Due to all the stability problems and glitches I’d give it a 0 but the whole game’s concept is built on using some cool features of the 3.0 Firmware – and the Open Feint Support is cool.

Replay Value: 7.5/10 – Really addicting and even has personal achievements.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Further Improvements:

New gameplay modes
Multiplayer modes
Fix glitches and stability

More screenshots of MusIQ on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page.

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iSink U iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 30. Aug, 2009 by thetraynor.

iSink U: It’ll blow you out of the water!

Our Rating: 8/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Developer: Artificial Life, Inc. [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 4/5
Size: 34.2MB

iSink U is an intuitive and interactive battleship style game. It takes the classic game and puts a whole new spin on how things work, adding new features and cool weapons to make things just that much more exciting. From the loading screen you’ll get a sense of where this game is going to take you.

Once you choose your game you get to choose a map to play on. This doesn’t overly affect gameplay but offers a cool twist on normal gameplay. Once in gameplay you get to place you ships, this can be a little hard since the control system is really touchy and hard to use. The shooting menu is kind of touchy too and doesn’t always like to work (thats for me anyways) sometimes i find myself tapping 10 times before it realizes I’m tapping.

Now that being said this is a great game, and I would highly suggest for any Battleship fans out there. This offers some cool new features and an intriguing experience for newbies and veterans alike. At the least it’ll keep you amused for a few hours and will keep you coming back when all your other apps get boring.

I mean overall this app destroys other apps in the same genre *cough*ibattleships*cough* so it’s AOK in my books!

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8/10 – Very fun and intriguing, but the touch issue set me off

Enjoyment: 8/10 – I like blowing things up .. pretty simple there

Graphics: 8/10 – Great graphics, simple lines and colours, works perfectly

Sound: 8/10 – Cool effects, fit the game well.

Technology: 6/10 – Touch based, sensitivity drove me insane, hence low rating.

Replay Value: 8/10 – Great game, keeps you coming back when you need something not boring.

Overall Rating: 8/10

How to sink your opponents battleship:

-Fix the sensitivity issue with the tapping, or is it just my phone?
-An update with further maps woudl be really cool, or maybe the ability to upgrade ships .. newer cooler weaponry..

More screenshots on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page.

Thanks for listening,

-thetraynor

Folow me on Twitter @thetraynor

Wanna talk bad about me? Email Me

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Penetrator iPhone Game App Review

Posted on 30. Aug, 2009 by iPhone App Reviewer.

Penetrator: iCopter get’s a strong competitor.

Our Rating: 7.5/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.0
Developer: Readdle [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99 (On Sale)
Current iTunes Rating: 2.5/5
Size: 3.8MB

Penetrator is a flight obstacle avoidance game similar to the iPhone hit iCopter [iTunes Link]. The goal is to get as far through the tunnel as possible without hitting the boundaries of the tunnel or obstacles in between. To control your vehicle simply tap the screen to fly upwards (gravity pulls your plane down towards the boundaries). Along the way you’ll encounter many power ups that will benefit or destroy you. Penetrator contains three difficulty levels (two and three needing to be unlocked) so this app provides an addicting challenge.

The game itself is pretty small – there isn’t much to do, in fact without the addictive gameplay many would probably delete this application the day after purchasing. The app is extremely quick to load and gives you a great pick up and play paradigm. This allows you to just get right in the game, an since a game can take mere minutes – even seconds, fueling your addiction. To motivate you, there’s a local high score board – which unfortunately is only local, no online mode to compete against others. Given that this app has been created by the programming gods at Readdle, an online high score board should probably be implemented soon. No guarantees of course.

Penetrator’s graphics provide a perfect arcade style, it sets the theme for a ship going through some sort of tunnel. Everything is at the perfect resolution and is really detailed. Each level will provide a refreshing new background (was excited about the new stuff that came in Level 2 when I finally beat Level 1). There isn’t much sound in Penetrator, a few sound effects and no background music. You’re able to double tap the home button to play your own music without the app crashing so it’s still acceptable.

All in all, if you’re a fan of iCopter you’ll definitely like Penetrator for a refreshing new change that’s a little more challenging than the iCopter series. $0.99 is the perfect price but unfortunately this is only a sale selling point, I wouldn’t pay much more for it.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8/10 – Short. Sweet. Awesome.

Enjoyment: 7/10 – Can’t complain – awesome pick up and play game.

Graphics: 8/10 – Sets a great theme.

Sound: 6/10 – Nothing annoying, unfortunately lacking.

Technology: 8.5/10 – No stability problems or glitches. Online scoreboard would be nice.

Replay Value: 7.6/10 – Fairly addicting.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Further Improvements: