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Monday, October 31, 2011

Drawin’ Growin’ Review

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Drawin’ Growin’ Review

By Rob Rich on October 31st, 2011
Our Rating:

:: FERTILE GROUND
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Help Meu bring life (or at least a little more ambiance) back to the kingdom with lots and lots of line-drawing. There’s tapping aplenty, too.

Developer: TAITO Corporation
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

I’ve noticed that the idea of irresponsible monarchs is kind of a major theme in quite a few games these days. Some of them let their people suffer, others get wasted like a lonely teenager on prom night, and some just stink at taking care of the day-to-day stuff. The king of Meu’s land falls squarely into the latter category as he’s probably the worst plant-enthusiast I’ve ever seen.

So the kingdom is looking pretty grim. It’s not under assault from a demonic force or becoming poverty-stricken, it’s just lacking in proper garden maintenance. The king loves his plants, but he’s absolutely terrible about taking proper care of them. So, like any proper ruler, he gets some other poor sap to fix his mess. Meu, the bizarre little green pixie with fly wings and a decidedly 70′s coif, is that sap. Players will have to take up the mantle with him as they revitalize the kingdom’s flora by way of drawing lines to guide sunlight, water and more to their intended flower pots. However, only two lines can exist simultaneously (most of the time), so it’s important to know when to delete and redirect.

Under normal circumstances I’d be partial to Drawin’ Growin’s paper emulation visuals, but in this particular instance the theme also fits the gameplay (i.e. drawing + paper) to a T. It’s a bit lethargic at first, but soon things get frantic as players have to guide different elements (sun, water, etc…) to specific plants and tap invading insects to keep them away. All while on a timer. It gets borderline overwhelming, but thankfully there are a number of power-ups that can be earned, purchased and utilized to help. Some will allow longer lines to be traced while others will remove the need to tap away at those darned bugs. For the duration of one level, anyway. These bonuses help a great deal, but they aren’t 100% required to beat a particular stage.

I do have a couple of problems with Meu’s gardening antics, however. On more than one occasion I’ve had trouble intentionally deleting lines (via double-tapping), which can waste precious seconds. It’s not a game-breaker, but it’s annoying. The other issue I’ve had is that there’s no real explanation as to why I earn a gold medal in one level and not another. Seriously, I’ve got no clue here. 1300 points in one level will grant me a silver, while 950 in another gives gold. What the heck?

Obscure metrics aside, Drawin’ Growin’ is a fun game. I really enjoyed watching the different areas of the kingdom spring to life as I completed levels, and the hectic all-at-once management style of gameplay fits the iOS style perfectly. If someone likes guiding things to other things by way of tracing lines with their finger, then this is the game for them.

Drawin' Growin'

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: $0.99

Our Rating:

:: FERTILE GROUND
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-08-05 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Drawin' Growin'

About: Drawin’ Growin’ Review is a post from 148Apps

Rob Rich 01 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/drawin-growin-review/
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Farm Frenzy 3 Review

at 12:11 PM

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Farm Frenzy 3 Review

By Michael Halloran on October 31st, 2011
Our Rating:

:: SAME, BUT FUN
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

This third installment of the Farm Frenzy series presents the same beloved gameplay with many graphical changes.

Developer: Alawar Entertainment, Inc
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4S

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars

The first Farm Frenzy game was one of my guilty pleasures. Truth be told, I used to be an intense Android user and I first fell in love with the game on my Droid Incredible. Needless to say I was very excited about this third installment. However, after playing it I have come to realize that there haven’t been too many tweaks or changes since the original version.

The usual game rules apply in the third Farm Frenzy as in the first. Players are to take care of animals, use eggs and other animal products to produce goods to be sold in the market. Time management is key. Players must decide which products to make and in what order to make them. This can be difficult to do as time constraints get tighter and tighter with every level. I found the intro levels to be very repetitive and redundant for anyone that has played the first Farm Frenzy. It took a while to get into the meat of the game, but once I had progressed enough it got more intense and really tested my time management skills.

While the gameplay is the same, there are still a couple of enhancements that make Farm Frenzy 3 desirable over its predecessors. First, the graphics are much better and more fluid. I noticed very little lag and it was very responsive. Second, the animals and environment are different, and in my opinion more zany and fun. Levels now stretch across five different countries with varying different farm animals and predators based on the country. I love the new animals and I think the developers really took their time to create such lovable characters.

Despite essentially being the same game as the others in the series, I still think it is a solid title that is a welcomed addition. It brings to the table the original gameplay that we all know and love with some minor, yet clever differences. Having said that, I do not feel that the price makes this game worth it as it is just more of the same. On the other hand, I definitely would recommend it to those who have not played any of the Farm Frenzy titles. These games are very entertaining, addicting, and have the right amount of challenge to keep me playing for hours.

Farm Frenzy 3

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $2.99

Our Rating:

:: SAME, BUT FUN
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-09-15 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Farm Frenzy, Farm Frenzy 3

About: Farm Frenzy 3 Review is a post from 148Apps

Michael Halloran 01 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/farm-frenzy-3-review/
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Encyclopaedia Britannica Now Available For iPad

at 11:31 AM

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We all know and have used the Encyclopaedia Britannica at some point. It’s a fantastic resource of information with an absolutely huge amount of knowledge contained within. What some people may not realise is that it’s over 200 years with the first edition having been released between 1768 and 1771 in Scotland.

Technology moves on however and while the Encyclopaedia Britannica is still available in book form (in its 15th edition), iPad fans will be thrilled to see that the app version of Encyclopaedia Britannica is just as useful for anyone with a great thirst for knowledge.

Providing over 80,000 carefully fact checked articles, all manners of different subjects are catered for. There’s everything from information on famous landmarks to statistics about skateboarding. Encyclopaedia Britannica ensures that its knowledge is always accurate thanks to an extensive list of contributors that include over 100 Nobel Laureates plus numerous subject gurus such as Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

Information is provided through interesting mediums and not just via text with photographs, diagrams and charts plentiful. A LinkMap means that users can explore articles that are connected to each other through a dynamic view interface. There’s also a neat way of checking out what happened on the revelant day of the year at a glance which is the ideal way to set the brain racing off in a quest to gain more knowledge.

While Encyclopaedia Britannica is a free to download app, users who wish to gain the full benefits of the app will need to pay a pretty reasonable $1.99 a month subscription fee. For those not keen on paying, they do at least gain 100 free articles plus the first 100 words of each article as part of a taster of what’s available. Considering the web version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica is a lot more than this, that’s pretty good value for money for a huge wealth of knowledge.

Encyclopaedia Britannica is available now for the iPad.

Encyclopædia Britannica

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: FREE
Released: 2011-10-14 :: Category: Reference

Apps mentioned in this post: Encyclopædia Britannica

About: Encyclopaedia Britannica Now Available For iPad is a post from 148Apps

Jennifer Allen 01 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/encyclopaedia-britannica-ipad/
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GoGo Tunnel Runner Review

at 11:05 AM

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GoGo Tunnel Runner Review

By Jordan Minor on October 31st, 2011
Our Rating:

:: GO TUNNEL RUNNER GO
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Exploring endless tunnels makes for good, albeit repetitive, fun.

Developer: BadBumble
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 6.2
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.65 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars

The App Store has seen its fair share of 2D sidescrollers where the goal is just to run as far as possible. Games like Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack come to mind. GoGo Tunnel Runner successfully puts a 3D spin on that concept without losing what makes those games fun.

In GoGo Tunnel Runner, the player’s task is to guide the titular runner as he makes his way through endless tunnels. Tilting the iPhone or iPad moves the runner away from oncoming obstacles and towards valuable coins, jewels, health packs and power-ups. If the path ahead looks too hairy though, tapping the screen flips the runner onto the ceiling where he will continue to run until the screen is touched again.

It’s fun, controls well and stuff like the flipping mechanic and power-ups like an invincible motorcycle mixes things up somewhat. However, this isn’t a game meant to be played in long sessions as it will get really repetitive otherwise. It’s kind of inherent to the genre though. How many different things can you do in a game that is never supposed to end? The strangely long load times can also discourage repeat playings.

Fortunately, the game is good at rewarding those who keep playing. The coins earned through survival runs can be used to purchase time trials and additional levels. These new levels actually go a long way towards making the game feel different. On its own, the game looks like a bizarre PC shareware game, but some levels, especially the Tron-inspired one, have a good unified art style that make the game look quite nice. Plus, the new levels have pretty good remixes on the game’s one song.

GoGo Tunnel Runner’s core gameplay is a little thin. But the new levels, as well as the cheap price, do a good job at making up for it. It’s a neat twist on an established formula.

GoGo Tunnel Runner

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: $0.99

Our Rating:

:: GO TUNNEL RUNNER GO
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-10-12 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: GoGo Tunnel Runner

About: GoGo Tunnel Runner Review is a post from 148Apps

Jordan Minor 01 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/gogo-tunnel-runner-review/
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Katamari Amore Takes a Time Trip With New Content Pack

at 10:31 AM

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When Katamari Amore released, it came with the promise that more content would be added to the game beyond its intital level pack. I am proud to report that Namco are not liars, as a new level pack will be made available on Thursday, October 27th. The Time Trip pack features levels that send the Prince throughout history to collect thing for the ever-demanding King of All Cosmos. Six new levels are playable in Time Trial, Story, Exact Size Challenge, and Eternal modes. The pack will be available for $3.99, identical to the first pack, with one level’s Time Trial mode unlocked for free. As well, this pack will also feature a bonus mode based on a Namco game, and instead of another Pac-Man level – this time a Tekken-themed level is available. It’s something of an unexpected choice; what could be next? Soul Calibur? Mappy? Tower of Druaga? Toy Pop? The long-lost Pac-Man 2 game for 16-bit consoles? A Splatterhouse level? I don’t think I would even want to see that.