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 Fat Jump Pro (By SID On)Developer: SID On Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.2 Download: here Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later. Located in the Warsow,Poland-SID on an independent mobile application developer has announced a recent update of Fat Jump Pro for the iPhone,iPad and iPod touch.Fat Jump Pro is a fast paced vertical arcade action for the iOS devices.Using the tilt controls the player must guide the jumping,little green hero (a healthy and crispy cucumber) up a never ending series of platforms... |
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Latest Stories
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Friday, 22 June 2012
Universal App
It makes good use of some new iOS Device features, but Real Escape slips up on one of the most basic essentials.
Waking
up alone in a locked hospital room covered in blood would be enough to
make anyone nervous. But as easy as it might be to panic in such a
situation, it’s important to keep a relatively level head. At least if
one is to have any hope of escape. And survival. Although in this case
patience is also a necessity.
Real Escape is an “escape” game not unlike what anyone
familiar with the genre would expect. There’s an ominous locked room,
the means to leave are scattered about in obscure puzzle form, and
getting out is the top priority. What makes this particular example
stand out is the use of gyroscopic controls to look around the room,
creating a much more engrossing experience for the player. Assuming they
have a gyroscope-enabled device (iPhone 4/4S, iPod Touch 4, iPad 2) in
the first place.
The puzzles in Real Escape walk a fine line between
frustrating and manageable. Fortunately, for the most part, they hit
that sweet spot right in the middle where a given task might take
several minutes (or more) to piece together but feels incredibly
satisfying once it’s done. It’s also a rather “pretty” game, with all
the dingy walls and grimy floors looking appropriately gross. What’s
more impressive is that it’s all rendered in real-time. No pre-rendered
backdrops here.
Real Escape
isn’t a perfect distraction, however. Not by a long shot. Aside from
the fact that its key feature (gyroscopic controls) doesn’t function on
older devices, the stand-in controls are also backwards. Playing on my
3GS required that I swipe left to turn right, up to look down, and so
on. The same holds true for using the accelerometer to shift the view
when zoomed in on most objects. But the most troublesome problem I’ve
run into by far has to be the exceptionally cluttered interface.
Conveying information to the player is essential in puzzle games such as
this, but to do so at the cost of being able to see said puzzles is
just wrong. It’s even worse once the inventory is open and an item is
selected. It becomes a sea of unnecessary visuals blocking my view. On
top of that the text or graphical hints for some puzzles are far too
small on the iPhone’s screen.
While Real Escape is certainly a neat, good-looking, and
clever little escape game thanks largely to the use of the gyroscope, so
many of the smaller but no less essential elements seem to have been
overlooked. It’s fun to play, and solving the obtuse riddles feels
great, but it can be a real chore to wade through the interface to do
so.
Friday, 22 June 2012 0
iPhone App
Launch Center Pro lets users create quick and customizable shortcuts to features within apps, and its new interface and groups option is a huge improvement over its predecessor.
Launch Center Pro isn’t available as a free upgrade for previous owners of the original Launch Center app, but this shouldn’t stop anyone from checking it out. Launch Center Pro
is a brand new app that is more powerful and the completely new design
makes it a must-have. Instead of focusing on a list format, App Cubby
transformed the interface with new large buttons.
There are 12 buttons to start out with that include common actions
like Flashlight, Google Prompt and Dial Contact. Users can immediately
begin editing the actions by tapping on the the pencil icon in the upper
right corner of the screen. From here, actions can be deleted and added
with ease. Users are able to create quick shortcuts to common actions
like using the iPhone as a flashlight, sending emails to clients,
calling mom, and taking photos with Instagram. It combines actions into one simple and easy-to-use location, essentially making it a second home screen.
When users add a new action, they must choose between Group or
Action. A group lets users add up to 11 actions in it so users could
virtually have up to 132 shortcuts to both apps and actions within the
apps. The group option is by far the best feature that App Cubby added.
Once a group is named, users are able to select a customized icon for it
from what seems like hundreds of options. After the group is added to
the main screen, users simply have to hold down the icon and then drag
their finger to the action or app that they wish to launch. This
gestures feature adds a whole new level of convenience to the app.
Adding
actions is a little more complex. Most common actions have subsets of
options that users must navigate through. For instance, tapping on the
Messages action opens up New Message or Send Message to Contact.
Touching the Send Message to Contact button opens up All Contacts, where
users must then find the contact they wish to create a shortcut for.
However, not all apps and actions are fully supported. Much like its
predecessor, there is a workaround for apps that aren’t featured where
users can enter the URL scheme, but this isn’t always a guarantee. For a
full list of supported apps, check out App Cubby’s website.
Overall, Launch Center Pro is ideal for users who like to
save time and works perfectly sitting in the iPhone’s dock. Once you use
it, you’ll never be able to stop. It’s packed with a lot of features,
and its intuitive and sharp interface both make it attractive to all iOS
users. This is one app that I highly recommend—especially since it’s
currently being sold for a 40 percent discount right now in the App
Store.
iPad Only App
Mutant Storm is a dual-stick shooter that is designed for players to try and survive through 89 levels.
2012 is the year for re-released dual-stick shooters to appear on iOS. Sure, the list is just Radiangames’ Inferno+ and Ballistic SE and now Mutant Storm, but I’m not going to let the facts get in the way of a good story. Originally released on the Xbox 360 in 2005, Mutant Storm
(exclusively for the iPad) throws players into more than 80 levels of
dual-stick shooter action, full of enemies to take out. While each
individual level is structured the same on each play, the player’s
performance can make the game harder. There rae two main game modes: an
adventure mode that starts the player out either from the beginning, or
from every 10 levels once unlocked, and a tally mode where players try
to score highly on an individual level.
Mutant Storm is at its best when it is enjoyed from level 1
and played straight through. Starting at the beginning allows the game’s
difficulty curve to ramp up appropriately, and just helps get me
engrossed in a way that starting from a random wave doesn’t. Is
progressing and unlocking new waves quicker by starting from later
waves? Yes. Is it as fun? No. That may be the issue: ramping up the
difficulty right from the start just makes the game not as much fun.
Getting into the groove, watching the difficulty ramp up, now that is an
enjoyable experience.
Mutant Storm
would do well to explain what is going on with its belt system. From
what I can surmise, it appears to be a difficulty modifier and ranking
method, but I wouldn’t know from playing the game. As well, there’s the
ability to choose different ships, but do they do anything? Good
question! Having even rudimentary explanations would be great. The
controls made a great transition to the touch screen, as there is no
on-screen joystick to worry about, it’s based largely on swiping and
adjusting direction through natural motion.
Mutant Storm doesn’t light the world on fire, but even as a
2005 re-release, it does some things differently enough on a structural
level that it should engross fans of the dual-stick shooter.
With OS X Mountain Lion set to launch to the public sometime next month, 9to5Mac reports that Apple has asked select members of its retail store staff to begin testing the software.
In
an e-mail to Apple Store Genius Bar members and Creatives, Apple has
provided access to its OS X Mountain Lion AppleSeed testing program…
This testing is to be done on personal Macs belonging to employees, and is not standardized in-store OS X Mountain Lion training.
This testing is to be done on personal Macs belonging to employees, and is not standardized in-store OS X Mountain Lion training.
Not only
will the program provide additional testers for Apple as it expands
beyond registered Mac developers, but it will also give retail store
staff a head start on gaining familiarity with the forthcoming operating
system before formal training begins.
Apple is almost certainly wrapping up work on OS X Mountain Lion, if it
hasn't completed it already, with the company issuing a "near-final"
build to developers at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this
month. With OS X Mountain Lion being a Mac App Store exclusive, Apple
can continue to work on the operating system until relatively close to
the launch date given that it does not need to build in time for
pressing millions of DVDs, but the company will want some time to ensure
that the golden master build is behaving properly before it is released
to the public.
Universal App
It's a mad dash to stay on beat in this quirky rhythm game
I
keep hearing rhythm games are dead, yet hardly a week goes by when I
don’t see a new one in the App Store. They generally come in two
varieties: hit the notes as they cross a playline like the Tapulous
series, or platforming games that use music and beats to help control
the action like Beat Sneak Bandit. Mad Acorn,
the latest music game that falls loosely into the second category, is a
great example of how to distill a concept to its core, then create so
much visual appeal it compensates for the simplicity.
Normally I ignore backstories or wrap them up quickly, but Mad Acorn
is set in a comic book world. I won’t spoil the plot, because the comic
panels are arguably the best part of the package. As for gameplay,
players have the easiest objective. The game is an auto runner, so the
irate squirrel hero moves relentlessly forward across levels based in
four worlds. By keeping the beat with a touch anywhere on the screen
players ensure he jump over hurdles and punches foes with one tap. The
game adjusts the specific action to fit the circumstances so all there
really is to do is listen to the drums and baseline and tap along.
Most beats coincide with something to kill or avoid, but there are
“missing” beats too. Players can find them by listening carefully to the
pattern and tapping even when no obstacle is present. It’s a neat
feature, but oddly not one players earn any reward for beyond hearing a
thump and seeing the number found at the end of the level in the stats.
The
music is unusual and likely underground. I don’t quite know what to
call it. It’s got heavy bass and an electronic dance vibe. It’s
auspicious if one happens to like the grooves, since the game isn’t easy
– tracks replay quite a lot. Once gamers find the tempo, however,
getting long combos is easy.
I had a little trouble with the controls on iPad. I have a decent
sense of rhythm and sometimes found my taps went unregistered even in
early levels. But, the game is forgiving, Mad Acorn allots players three lives that can be replenished occasionally by taking out baddies with hearts over their heads.
Mad Acorn hasn’t much depth, but it does have some really
nice visuals, the great art, and inherent replay value based on desire
to get better, rather than through extraneous incentives. It’s a great
pick-up-and-play title and solid summer casual gaming choice.
Universal App
Xtrail is a GPS-enabled fitness tracker that records workouts and analyzes your performance.
I just started getting back into riding my bike. I’m an avid Run Keeper user, but when I started to read about Xtrail – The GPS Fitness Tracker,
I was intrigued by all its features. I had the opportunity to review
this app during my evening workout yesterday, and I can safely say that
I’m impressed.
Xtrail transforms the iPhone into a GPS fitness tracker. It
not only records distance and speed but it can also measure time, pace,
altitude, climb and calories burned. The coolest feature that sets it
apart are the customizable widgets that exercise enthusiasts can place
at the top of the screen while they break a sweat.
From the map screen, users can select their desired exercise by
tapping on the small stick figure icon in the upper right corner. Users
have the option to select from a wide range of activities like running
and walking to skiing and rowing. After an activity is selected, the app
allows users to then add widgets to the screen by swiping left or right
at the top. These widgets include speed, time elapsed, calories burned,
climb, altitude, distance, pace, best speed and average speed. It’s
neat to fill the screen with widgets to view the live stats while
working out, but they do push the map down further so users will need to
scroll down while working out if they wish to see it.
Once the workout is complete, Xtrail
lets users analyze their performance by looking at at each mile on a
detailed map. They can see all their stats, rate how they felt during
the ride, input the weather and even look at all the statistics over
time on the interactive graph.
Each workout is organized by date or activity and anyone who has
iCloud enabled can access their activity on the larger iPad screen.
Along with viewing the information on the iPad screen, users can also
share a link to their workout via Facebook, Twitter, mail, messages and
email via a GPX file.
I only had a couple of gripes when using the app. One is that users
can’t record new workouts on the iPad. I know not everyone would want to
lug around the device while working out, but it would be nice to throw
it in the backpack and use it when hiking because the map is a lot
easier to read on the larger screen. The second is that there is no iPod
music integration with playlists, which is a feature that other cheaper
trackers include.
Overall, Xtrail is an intuitive app that is one of the
better fitness trackers available in the App Store. The interface is
simple and clean and it has plenty of features to help users keep track
of their fitness activities. You won’t be disappointed in purchasing
this one.
Universal App
Passable game that doesn't score.
When my husband and I were dating, one of my fondest memories is kicking
past the random piles of socks and pizza boxes to enter the sacred
space of his mancave, where we goofed away precious hours playing
International Superstar Soccer on an old school Nintendo 64 console.
I have limited hand-eye coordination. Sports are not for me, sadly.
Despite the current mitigating factors (career, pregnancy, mortgage,
adulthood), I indulge my occasional fantasies as a glamorous,
dewy-skinned and fresh-faced soccer star. No matter how firmly we deny
it, superstar fantasies rarely fade.
Soccer
Superstars 2012 by GAMEVIL is disappointing in its execution and
delivery. These days, a gamer of almost any skill expects movie quality
graphics and design that typically come free with the slick games widely
available.
Soccer Superstars 2012 confuses from the start. The home screen is a
fine point of entry, but the font is difficult to see on my iPhone.
Chubby anime boys with lots of fearsome attitude invade the screen while
Love Boat-ish muzak plays with shrill, unnerving force.
The plump anime cherubs are cutesy with gruff, exaggerated
expressions, but my foray into attempting soccer keeps getting
overridden by pop-ups that asks me to purchase more stuff. I like the
option to choose brown, white, or alien skin. (I chose alien, for the
record.) I select spiky hair for my players and name my team, but the
screen continues to prompt purchasing.
Overall, the edge Soccer Superstars 2012 seems to be aiming for falls
flat. It’s generic and passable, yet it lacks polish. Too many
complicated arrangements and possibilities that fail to complement a too
simple design concept, which is difficult to access.
The bland graphics seem outdated–and not in a fantastically hip,
retro way. A lackluster and addled mix of dull coloring and shallow
screen depth are thrown together in a potluck mash-up that smacks of
video game design circa 2000.
After working furiously, I am finally able to actually play soccer as
the character I created. I flick the tiny ball with my virtual foot,
and the posey anime girl with headphones remarks, “No! No! That is not
right. TRY again.” I feel frustrated, and I continue to think that if I
picked up Soccer Superstars 2012 knowing nothing, I would be absolutely
lost and abandon play immediately.
I want to like Soccer Superstars 2012. I want to give it a chance. I
want to hear a throng of my adoring public cheering me into a swift net.
But, like actual soccer, the journey to that ever-elusive net remains
too arduous for me, not swift enough, and altogether elusive.
Suffering through killer plyometric workouts and dropping weighty
fists of cash for brand name cleats may have to wait. For now, I can
rest my aching pregnant bones on a cushy leather sofa and watch The
World Cup.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
While Apple's new Retina MacBook Pro includes a display measuring
2880x1800 pixels, the default display options do not allow users to run
their systems at that raw resolution. Instead, the extra pixels are
used to display a higher level of detail on a canvas representing the
previous 1440x900 resolution. As a result, windows and user interface
elements appear to be the same relative size as on a 1440x900 15"
display, but with four times the detail. Users who wish to use a
desktop with apparent resolution higher than 1440x900 can still do so,
as System Preferences offers several different options ranging up to 1920x1200.
Those users who want even more screen real estate by tapping into the full 2880x1800 resolution mode of the display can also do so, but the option involves a workaround that is not authorized by Apple. Macworld has more details on the process, which involves using either a third-party app like the paid SwitchResX (as noted in our forums) or one of a number of free options that have sprung up such as Change Resolution.
Retina MacBook Pro running at 2880x1800
(Click for larger)
Running a 2880x1800 desktop on a screen measuring only 15.4 inches diagonally obviously results in very small text and user interface elements, but for those willing to sit close enough to their screens to make the onscreen content readable, it may be an interesting option.
As noted by developer Steven Troughton-Smith, users running Windows on the new Retina MacBook Pro can also take advantage of the full display resolution, simply setting the resolution in preferences within Windows.
Those users who want even more screen real estate by tapping into the full 2880x1800 resolution mode of the display can also do so, but the option involves a workaround that is not authorized by Apple. Macworld has more details on the process, which involves using either a third-party app like the paid SwitchResX (as noted in our forums) or one of a number of free options that have sprung up such as Change Resolution.
Retina MacBook Pro running at 2880x1800
(Click for larger)
Running a 2880x1800 desktop on a screen measuring only 15.4 inches diagonally obviously results in very small text and user interface elements, but for those willing to sit close enough to their screens to make the onscreen content readable, it may be an interesting option.
As noted by developer Steven Troughton-Smith, users running Windows on the new Retina MacBook Pro can also take advantage of the full display resolution, simply setting the resolution in preferences within Windows.
Thursday, 21 June 2012 0
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Tim Cook
announced that the App Store would be launching in 32 additional
countries this month, bringing the total number of countries with App
Store access to 155. As documented in the country-selection page within
the iTunes Store, those 32 new markets are now available, although
Apple has yet to update its support page listing which iTunes Store content is available in which countries.
The vast majority of new countries are located in Apple's African and Asian markets, with the exception of Albania and Ukraine in Europe. The full list of new App Store countries includes: Albania, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
The vast majority of new countries are located in Apple's African and Asian markets, with the exception of Albania and Ukraine in Europe. The full list of new App Store countries includes: Albania, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
Universal App
Suit up in your animal self to defeat that nagging cartoon gorilla
Those creepy, flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz make me
question my burning desire to go over that brilliant, technicolor
rainbow every time. I consider the inevitable consequences, and yet, “If
happy little bluebirds fly,” why, then, can’t I?
Battle Monkeys
by Geek Beach is a universal game app heavy on strategy. I enter a
primal arena as my angry monkey persona. If I want to, I can eventually
transform into a slightly more mischeivous baboon or a largely more
fierce gorilla, but I’m gonna have to pay money for that, so. . .
My mid-size monkey self is bare bones. No fancy markings, I wear an
angular glare fit for battle. I cut my dagger eyeballs at the gorilla
and the baboon while I trek a tribal grid fit for a game of safari
chess. Symbological patterns beckon me to choose a skull, a heart, a
gun, an explosive star, or even a handful of Zs.
The tutorial instructs me on the power function and informs me of the
best time to jump to an icon of my choosing. My fellow battle monkeys
do the same. Although the tutorial is helpful, it’s not particularly
intuitive when the monkey stuff hits the screen, or whatever metaphor
works.
My monkey self gets pounded by a gorilla with a spiked club and
shocked with virtual volts by a baboon celebrating his victory by
showing me a view of his striped backside. I have a nice time using my
limited strategic knowledge of this game, but I fail to see where this
is going. I keep dying on my square, or at least getting physically
wounded to the point of seeing green and red stars swirl around my
monkey brains.
The tribal beats of whips lashing and drums thrumming is appealing.
Chanting monkeys keep a rhythm with the game. The design of the monkeys
is a little stereotypical. They stomp over the game board with an
appropriate seriousness for battle, and they are funny to watch as their
triangular cross-eyed stares react to their battle play. The game’s
background is stale and stilted, seeming incongruent with the more
fleshy, sophisticated design of the monkeys.
Battle Monkeys reminds me of a classic game of Rock, Paper,
Scissors. It’s primitive and ingrained into our cultural landscape. I
can’t recall who taught me how to play it, but it seems that no matter
where I went as a child, other kids could fall quickly into a game to
pass a bit of idle recess time.
Battle Monkeys works similarly. It’s frivolous entertainment easily picked up to waste spare time, but it’s not worth a trip over the rainbow.
Universal App
Razor: Salvation is an action defense game where players must try to ward off aliens and zombies from their dropship.
Razor: Salvation
pits players against the dual-threat menace of invading alien forces
and zombies. Players must try to keep survivors safe, while eliminating
aliens and keeping the infected enemies away from the ship, as if they
get near, it’s instantly game over. The good news is that the player is
loaded for bear in their stationary dropship. Rockets, mortars,
grenades, and a railgun are available, and if those aren’t enough, then
perhaps the Redeemer and Hellfire will take care of things?
There is plenty of action in the game, and its sessions are perfect
for pick up and play gameplay. The graphics are well-detailed, which
should be expected from the developer of Siegecraft. The game
does feature the always-welcome combination of iCloud sync and universal
support. Upgrade progress and unlocks will transfer between devices.
I’m glad to see more games implementing this support.
The problem I had with Razor: Salvation
was that it just never quite felt right. Part of it may have to do with
the controls. Having to deal with enemies coming from all directions,
yet having controls that make it difficult to circle around to where the
enemies are coming from makes it a challenge. The position of the
player seems to make it very difficult to even get engrossed in the
action, because everything is so far away. Enemies come in so slowly
that the game feels like it drags on, despite being built around short
sessions. This makes it feel like failure is based around the game
deciding that the player should fail now, not that the player reached a
point where it felt like they should fail. I always feel like death is a
sudden occurance.
The controls are difficult to use; even with sensitivity cranked up
to the max they still make it difficult to turn around and aim at
enemies. It’s also way too easy to activate one of the special weapons,
which are not cheap to buy more ammo for. It’s just overall clunky. The
game also crashes fairly frequently on the iPod touch 4th generation.
I was extremely disappointed by Razor: Salvation. I enjoyed Siegecraft, but a lot in this title just feels half-baked.
Universal App
Time to show those mortals who's the boss!
For those that are veterans of the iOS gaming scene the Babel Rising
series is far from new. Originally released back in winter of 2009,
the title was a smashing success, which paved the way from many
bite-sized games that would soon follow in its humanity punishing
footsteps. But would a jump to three dimensions be enough to justify a
new release? Only the gods will know for sure…
Lets just get the big questions out of the way right off the bat.
Are you once again a vengeful deity, hell-bent on raining down death and
destruction on those below? Absolutely. Do you have many different
ways to cause obscene amounts of damage? Heck yes. Is Babel Rising 3D
a natural evolution of the brand? Pretty much. Just don’t go in
expecting groundbreaking changes that will forever modify the world of
Babel.
As the campaign progresses, your virtual destructor will be augmented
with a wide variety of different element inspired powers, all of which
can be dispensed using a series of different swipes, pokes and pinches.
The main modification, as the name might imply, is that this time
around the tower climbs skyward in a corkscrew-like form. This means
that in order to effective hedge off the heathens at the pass, players
must be well aware of their surroundings and rotate thusly, or otherwise
risk rather sudden failure.
It will not take long for players to become well versed in fail states, because it will happen on a semi-frequent basis. While Babel Rising 3D
has a twisted and dark outlook on the miniscule human life, it finds
its own ways to reap revenge on the player. This is not an experience
that is for the faint of heart. All it takes is one moment of wavering
concentration and the peasants will gain the upper hand.
Looking at the game simply from a fiscal point of view, Babel Rising 3D
costs only a dollar more than its two dimensional predecessor. The
sheer wealth of gameplay alone makes the investment well worth it. So
get out there and raise some hell, er, heaven.
iPhone App
Eager for nostalgia reminiscent of your own teen spirit? BOP IT ! SMASH is just the thing.
As
theater majors, my classmates and I often warmed up with the BOP IT!, a
handheld arcade game in the vein of 80s cultural icon Simon. With the
BOP IT!, we performed tricky hand calisthenics directed by a snarky,
automated voice. This 90s dude offered feedback (snarkily) as we
attempted to manipulate and master the BOP IT!.
A group can become mesmerized by the focus it takes to challenge the
BOP IT!’s innate pattern of play. It may sound like nothing special, but
the BOP IT! handheld game is like an endless loop of Tom Stoppard lines
to a classroom of theater geeks. (No judging!)
My BOP IT! enthusiasm follows me into this decade. I still own the
original BOP IT!. The opportunity to try out BOP IT! SMASH for iPhone is
one for seizing.
BOP IT! SMASH incorporates the tell-tale elements of the original,
cultish handheld game. The interface mimics the design of the original.
Flashy buttons wink at me in the flirtation of their real life
counterparts. The nostalgic sound of the snarky dude’s voice, recalling a
90s era DJ spinning The Smashing Pumpkins, has me visualizing his
full-on hipster doofus get-up.
BOP IT! SMASH is straightforward. Push a candied, winking button and
aim for the bouncing spheres, or ENERGY BALLS, to smash in the center of
the screen. In my case, fail to do that, and have the snarky dude call
me a “catastrophe” and so on.
Conceptually, this version is concise and enjoyable, although I don’t
see a great deal of replay value. It’s fun to play, but not enough fun
to waste an afternoon playing. Inherent in the word “play” is the idea
of disregarding time to get lost in a warp of pleasure. Dinging through
my heady daze, I rack up glintish gold coins to buy cheap koozies and
tacky keychains at the virtual arcade counter in the cloud.
BOP IT! SMASH traps me in a kind of time warp. Although I prefer the
nuances of the original BOP IT!, I like the authentic design in this
version. BOP IT! is not a game for solo enjoyment. My flourescent
memories of BOP IT! center on a circle of college students, talented,
ambitious, energetic, and snarky as hell.
Would I revisit those days? The days of pouring through hefty tomes
at wee hours, climbing the history building’s roof on a dare, crashing
at Waffle House for a midnight bite of drippy hashbrowns scattered,
smothered, AND covered. It’s nice to remember those experiences with a
distanced, pastel fondness. My grasp on them now is merely virtual.
The same can be said for BOP IT! SMASH. The game is enjoyable and
somewhat addictive, but it’s not the original. I can’t connect fully to
the experience. It’s a dim looking-glass view of the past, which, in the
present, is simply not the same.
Universal App
Angry Birds style fun for those who prefer their action 3D.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a game described as “like Angry Birds“, I’d be sunning myself on a remote tropical island somewhere. Probably. Still, that’s the best way to describe Fish Heroes as it genuinely is a lot like Angry Birds. While it might be deriative, it is still rather good fun.
The main component that makes Fish Heroes stand out is that action is 3D. The same Angry Birds
style concept is there – players must destroy opposing towers by
flinging fish at them – but the difference comes in the ability to
rotate the screen.
The enemies are lined up in the center, with it down to the player to
determine the correct angle to take them out in the fewest throws. This
greatly enhances the strategy involved as there are frequently numerous
different ways of solving a level. The physics feel more keenly attuned
than in something like Angry Birds which occassionally degenerated into randomness.
Adjusting for this possibility, Fish Heroes doesn’t involve
the player just guessing at the trajectory of the fish. Instead a
crosshair appears so that they can correctly determine exactly where the
fish will hit. This makes it simpler to line up shots, such as one to
take out surrounding wood or ice rather than the actual enemy, but it
doesn’t make completing a stage any easier. With each stage frequently
offering many different obstacles, it’s fun to figure out the best way
of completing them. Replaying stages is common because it’s fun rather
than just because of some obsessive need to 3 star every level. For
those 3 star addicts, it’s convenient that Fish Heroes lists how
many fish you need to use to complete a stage throughout the level. It’s
a handy guide to knowing what needs to be done.
Much like in Angry Birds, Fish Heroes offers a variety
of different fish with lightweight clownfish available at the start,
followed by huge whales and bomb like inflattable pufferfish. Much of
the strategy comes in figuring out where best to use each fish type.
Fish Heroes won’t win prizes for originality but it maintains a
fun edge and it’s consistently satisfying clearing a level with few
fish. It’s a great one to drop in on regularly to chip away at those 3
star scores.
In a new research note published today, Topeka Capital Markets analyst
Brian White points to a new report from Chinese business site 21cbh.com
claiming that Foxconn/Hon Hai has accelerated its schedule for ordering
television-sized LCD panels from Sharp, fueling speculation that the
panels are destined for an Apple television set that could debut in time
for the holiday shopping season this year. Foxconn and Sharp announced a partnership earlier this year to advance LCD technology, a move some observers have seen as closely tied to an Apple television set.
This
morning, the Chinese character version of 21cbh.com indicated in an
article that Hon Hai Precision expects to start receiving LCD TV panel
orders from Sharp in 3Q12 instead of 4Q12 as was originally planned.
Recall, Hon Hai invested in Sharp earlier this year to secure LCD panels
that we believe will largely support a new Apple TV. Based on a recent
interview by 21cbh.com with a Sharp executive and information from
sources at the company, the online news source believes the order is for
the new Apple TV and could be available for the holiday season. In our
view, a holiday launch would make for a very merry holiday season for
Apple and consumers. However, we will continue to monitor the data
points surrounding the timing of this launch as they could change.
In his new note, White also reiterates his claims from earlier this month
regarding Apple's use of Kinect-like motion sensing technology for
controlling the forthcoming television set, with the device also
including an iPad-like touchscreen remote.
White continues to be one of the most optimistic analysts regarding
Apple, maintaining his 12-month price target for the stock at $1,111.
He believes that Apple could generate $10 billion in revenue from its
television set in the first year, operating under the assumption that
Apple's device will command a higher price than its competition's
products and that the company will be able to grab 2% of the LCD
television market in its first year.
Back in January, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced
to employees that the company would begin a new hardware discount
program in June, offering employees $500 off a Mac (excluding the Mac
mini) or $250 off an iPad.
In line with that schedule, 9to5Mac reports that the new program has now gone live. As had been previously claimed, the discount is available to employees who have worked at Apple for at least 90 days, can be used once every three years, and can be stacked upon existing 25% employee discounts on hardware.
In line with that schedule, 9to5Mac reports that the new program has now gone live. As had been previously claimed, the discount is available to employees who have worked at Apple for at least 90 days, can be used once every three years, and can be stacked upon existing 25% employee discounts on hardware.
Unfortunately for those Apple employees looking to apply the discount to
the new Retina MacBook Pro, the model is not included in the program
and is not even available through the employee purchasing portal. This
is typical for new Apple products, and with supplies remaining tight for consumers it may be some time before availability loosens up enough for Apple to add it to the employee purchasing program.
The enhanced hardware purchase program comes as Apple's retail store staff has begun seeing salary increases of as much as 25% depending on market and performance. Those raises are set to go into effect in mid-July.
The enhanced hardware purchase program comes as Apple's retail store staff has begun seeing salary increases of as much as 25% depending on market and performance. Those raises are set to go into effect in mid-July.
Universal App
A challenging but intriguing twist on the Tower Defense genre.
Is Human Defense a Tower Defense game or a puzzle game? That’s
the first question that will enter most players’ heads when they load
it up. The tutorial explains what’s going on but it certainly owes as
much to the Tower Defense genre as it does to a more logical puzzle
game.
It’s a confusing mishmash at first and the tutorial doesn’t help matters. Practice is what will make Human Defense
more understandable but don’t expect an easy ride. Familiar paths are
laid out in which players must line with towers in order to destroy the
invading force. Things get more complicated than that. Due to the human
body theme, the player must clear the organ of pathogens while also
acquiring carbohydrates.
It sounds confusing and it almost is, with both carbs and pathogens
wandering down the path at the same time. Towers must be placed at
certain points along the route to destroy the pathogens but they also
require carbs to become active. Players can place a tower in any of the
relevant gaps but they won’t work until enough carbs have been accrued.
Carbs can also be sent towards the organ that needs protecting in order
to boost its health.
This focus on directing carbs is where the puzzle elements emerge.
Players can branch paths off, thereby diverting the pathogens to another
path to create more time, and they can also divert carbs past specific
towers in order for them to develop further.
It’s a nice touch but one that takes some time to click. The typical
Tower Defense way of playing doesn’t quite work here with such original
tactical elements. Other new additions to the genre is the fact that
germs grow in strength and resistance to certain weapons, much as they
would in the human body.
It’s things like this that make Human Defense a fresh take on
the genre but also obtuse to master. The tutorial might explain all this
but it’s still quite a steep learning curve which may put some players
off. It’s worth pursuing, however, as it’s an interesting take on a
tried and tested formula.
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