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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Our Rating: 7.8/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 2.0.0
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $1.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3/5
Size: 2.7MB

Konami Entertainment has ported Atari’s classic game, Frogger, to the iPhone – yes that means even more nostalgia for the older gamers out there.  For those of you who never got the chance to play Frogger while it was still around the game is about controlling a frog and guiding it to it’s destination.  No this isn’t a puzzle game where you’ll have to logically figure out a path, instead you must have fast reflexes and timing to avoid all the obstacles that you will encounter.

The unfortunate part of this app is the immense lack of new environments, although there are several levels which each provide a new obstacle or two, it’s the same map over and over again.  None the less, the gameplay is quite enjoyable and provides a great pick-up-and-play addiction.  A game lasts from a mere few minutes to an hour (if you’re really good).  Only a few people I’ve demoed it with have been able to get a score over 20,000 so this is a great challenge too!  The environment can get pretty crazy with all the obstacles, making for an excellent immersing gameplay.

The graphics are quite friendly and smoothly rendered.  I don’t think photo-realistic graphics would suit Frogger and therefore the current ones provide the perfect environment.  Sound is a little dull but nothing annoying (which can be rare for an arcade game).  Konami has done a near-perfect job on the control scheme, you can control the frog via three ways, tap (touch), slide (touch) or tilt (accelerometer).  The touch control schemes are awesome – each have their own personal advantage so whatever suits you best.  However the accelerometer controls are a pretty large bucket of fail.

All in all, Frogger is a highly enjoyable arcade game but won’t entertain for long and is very limited.  For a couple of bucks though, definitely check this one out.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 6.9/10  – Frogger provides very immersing gameplay but lacks multiple environments

Enjoyment: 9/10 – Just utterly awesome

Graphics: 8.7/10 – Sets the perfect theme.

Sound: 7/10  – Nothing to complain about…

Technology: 8/10 – Excellent job on touch control schemes, great stability and the only glitch I’ve found is a very small irrelevant animation glitch.

Replay Value: 7.2/10 – This only gets a 7.2 due to the addictiveness, the only competition is a local score board – no online mode – no new maps.

Overall Rating: 7.8/10

Further Improvements: (Note to the developer!)

• More. maps.  Have a whole adventure for our frog!
• Create a better accelerometer control scheme – anybody who’s played with it will know why this needs to be changed.

More screenshots for Frogger on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page.

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Our Rating: 8.4/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.0.2
Developer: SkyZone Entertainment [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3.5/5
Size: 6.7MB
Lite Version: [iTunes Link]

Extreme Hangman adds a creative twist to hangman. It is played on a virtual chalk board and there are many situations your stick-figure may find itself in. From the classic hangman situation, being hung from a noose, to getting your brains eaten by zombies, Extreme Hangman will keep your attention with the variety of creative animations. You get six false choices and two hints before your stick-person dies. From actors to supermarket, there’s a category for everyone. With a variety of categories and ranging difficulties, Extreme Hangman is great for the novice or veteran player.

What I like most about Extreme Hangman is the creative situations your stick-person is put in. Instead of just enjoying guessing the word, I now also have fun seeing how my stick-person will react to my guess. The graphics are smooth and flawless. The local multiplayer is great for playing with a friend, but the word you choose must be at least five letters long. The options allow you to greatly customize the game. You can choose which animation you want to use or just change the difficulty. Extreme Hangman is extremely fun and addicting, even losing is fun!

Even though Extreme Hangman is a great game, it isn’t perfect. The sound fits the game but is very annoying. The online feature is a good idea, if it can be fixed. I tried it a few times with a friend and out of the many times we tried, we only got into the game once, and got disconnected within a minute. Those are really the only two things I can complain about with Extreme Hangman.

Overall, Extreme Hangman had me from the beginning. With the addicting gameplay, and creative animations, Extreme Hangman is one of my favourite apps. Hangman is a common game that has been remade countless times. I can honestly say that this is one of the best, if not the best hangman app out there. If you like hangman, you’ll love Extreme Hangman!

Overall Ratings:

Gameplay: 9.5/10 – Very addicting and impressive

Enjoyment: 9.5/10 – Even losing is fun!

Graphics: 9/10 – Smooth with very creative animations.

Sound: 5/10 – Fits the animations but VERY annoying.

Technology: 8/10 – Only uses touch controls but very effectively.

Replay Value: 9.5/10 – Never gets boring.

Final Ratings: 8.4/10

Further Improvements:

• Fix the online mode glitches.
• Choose less annoying music!
• Continue to increase words and categories

Until next time,

-Mike.

More screenshots on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page.

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Our Rating: 7.9/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.20
Developer: Handmark, Inc [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $4.99
Current iTunes Rating: 4/5
Size: 4.8MB
Lite Version: [iTunes Link]

Platypus is a uniquely themed arcade shooter which will bring back a lot of nostalgia for folks who played the hundreds of similar games in the time of the Nintendo 64.  The goal of Platypus is to gain as many points by shooting up enemies with one of several weapons (power-ups are available throughout each stage). There’s a huge amount of stages and levels to go through, beating all of them would take several hours being a skilled player.  Although you only get four lives, you’re able to continue where you left off, just with your points reset.

Like all classic arcade shooters the high score board is your main motivation to playing – although Platypus is very enjoyable, it’s not really the addictive paradigm and therefore you’ll probably put it away once beat.  Unfortunately there’s no global high scores and the only competition is yourself, friends who you let use your device and the pre-ranked entries.  However the four total stages should be more than enough to keep you entertained for that five dollars worth of time.

The graphics are very unique, the theme is well, it’s clay.  Everything was basically drawn from clay.  Although it doesn’t look modern or extremely detailed it gives a nice effect and really sets the theme.  The graphics in all are satisfactory, keeping them at a low level leaves room for game stability, and with the huge amount of objects (bullets, enemies, particles, etc) on the screen at the same time, stability is key.  Handmark Inc has done a great job on the control interface, you can control via touch or accelerometer and both allow you to set sensitivity and calibration.  Nifty eh?

All in all if you’re into arcade shooters, Platypus is for you, it definitely does not disappoint.  It’s quite entertaining while it lasts, and it’s an excellent game to show to friends as you can show them so many aspects of your awesome new iPhone.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8.9/10 – Lots of stages, enough to last quite a while.  Tons of different enemies and powerups.

Enjoyment: 7/10 – It’s a pretty nifty game and will keep you entertained no doubt – how long is the question.

Graphics: 7.5/10 – The theme isn’t the best but they executed it well.

Sound: 8/10 – For those who love nostalgia, you’ll love the sound effects, for those who don’t you can turn it off.

Technology: 8.2/10 – Ability to control via accelerometer and touch, both can be customized to your personal standards.

Replay Value: 7.8/10  – Lots of levels available but the only real motivation is the local-only high score board.

Overall Rating: 7.9/10

Further Improvements:

• Global high score board
• Different themes – a lot of people will be pulled away from buying this due to the current clay style graphics.
• Different ships and more guns!

More screenshots on iPhone App Reviewer’s Flickr Page!

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Our Rating: 7.8/10

[Screenshots]

Version Reviewed: 1.1
Developer: FDG Entertainment [iTunes Link]
Price as of Review: $0.99
Current iTunes Rating: 3.5/5
Size: 6.2MB
Lite Version: [iTunes Link]

Parachute Panic is another game that’s showing the iPhone’s huge potential for great “cell phone,” gaming.  Like almost every true iPhone hit (and trust me, Parachute Panic has been a hit on the App Store) the gameplay is incredibly simple.  The key is addictiveness.  The goal of Parachute Panic is to play god with stick figures and guide them to the safety of your steamboats.  To do this simply swipe across the screen to blow wind around.  You’ll need quick timing and fast reflexes to bring all your men onto the boats.

You’ll face challenges along the way such as thunderclouds and alien spaceships that will try to abduct your stick figures.  You only have five lives, once a stick figure has been killed in any way (dropping to his death in the ocean, getting abducted, get struck by lightning) you lose a life.  This can happen quite quickly.  The gameplay is very challenging (on either difficulty level) and my high score is a mere 62 (anybody who’s beaten this can insult my skills in the comments).

The theme of the app is unique – all the graphics look like they were drawn on paper and scanned – the water is actually just blue lines.  However the end effect is quite nice and the user interface is smooth.  The statistics area like to remind you how many times you’ve killed off one of your stick figures via each death method.  Unfortunately there is no global high score board which in my opinion takes out a lot of the replay value – unless you’re addicted (ok you probably are), there’s no motivation to keep playing.

All in all, Parachute Panic is a great app for a buck, the gameplay follows the ideal iPhone paradigm.  Unfortunately the features are a little limited but we can abide by that for only a dollar.  You can check out the lite version for your final opinion on this app.

Final Ratings:

Gameplay: 8.2/10 – Although not very complex it’s the simplicity that makes it awesome.

Enjoyment: 9/10 – Not much to say here, it’s just fun!

Graphics: 8/10 – The theme has a nice effect.

Sound: 5/10 – The effects are great but the background and narration are very annoying.  Luckily you can turn just those off in the settings.

Technology: 8.2/10 – Very stable and I haven’t found a glitch.  Touch controls are very responsive.  Unfortunately no accelerometer control.

Replay Value: 8/10 – Many have found this game very addicting – it’s solid over one million copies.

Overall Rating: 7.8/10

Further Improvements:

• Global high score board
• A “hard” difficulty level
• Accelerometer usage

More screenshots on our iPhone App Reviewer Flickr Page.

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