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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Bring Me Sandwiches!! Review

Bring Me Sandwiches!! Review

By
on October 25th, 2011
Our Rating: ★★★★½ :: SURPRISINGLY DELICIOUS
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Bring Me Sandwiches!! is a shockingly great item-gathering platformer that takes inspiration from one of the most unexpected places.

 

Developer: Grumpyface Studios
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.0.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.31 out of 5 stars

Remember that game about some interstellar monarch going on a bender and knocking a bunch of stars out of the sky, then forcing his son to fix it? It was the one that involved lots of rolling-up items into a massive ball in order to gather up larger items to make the ball bigger? Na-naaaaa-na-na-Na-na-naaa-na-naaa-Na-na-na-na-naa-naaaaaa. I never would’ve expected it to be the inspiration for a side-scrolling casual platformer, but lo and behold it is!

Bring Me Sandwiches!! tosses players into the reluctant shoes of Jimmy Nugget, a fast food drone who’s been randomly chosen by an insatiable alien creature to bring it lots and lots of food, or else it will devour the Earth. No pressure. Each stage begins with acquiring a piece of bread from a floating alien… thing. After which players have to run all over the level gathering anything that sticks, creating one incredibly unappetizing (and tall) sandwich. Once the towering culinary monstrosity is large enough, it’s then a matter of tracking down another alien bread-carrier to top it off and send it on its merry way. In some levels, the creature will demand multiple treats. In others, it might want something specific like a number of soccer balls or a cat. These deviations to the core “mission” go a long way to preventing tedium from setting in.

Jimmy controls quite well despite lugging around an unwieldy ‘wich. Dragging in either direction on the left side of the screen will move him, and tapping on the right jumps. It’s simple, intuitive and responsive. It’s a good thing, too, because there are a lot of hazards that can both cause Jimmy bodily harm and knock a few layers off of his creations. However, every time a sandwich is completed and a new one begun (in the same level), the bread gets bigger. And when the bread gets bigger, it requires bigger components. I’m talking cars, small buildings and even some of those nasty humans that would do the plucky young hero harm.

Yet, while grabbing larger items might open up new areas in a stage it can also close some off. Certain objects that function as platforms will end up getting tossed into the sandwich if it’s large enough. I’ve gotten a little irritated when I’d realized I managed to prevent myself from grabbing a hidden alien ship piece or cut myself off from a cache of coins, but it’s nothing a quick replay can’t fix.

Aside from being just plain fun, there’s also plenty of reason to revisit Bring Me Sandwiches!! once it’s in the bag. Three golden pieces of bread can be earned on each level (one for score, another for time and then for number of hits taken), and gathering enough of these shinies will unlock bonus stages. Do I recommend it? Most definitely.




Apps mentioned in this post: Bring Me Sandwiches!!


About: Bring Me Sandwiches!! Review is a post from 148Apps

Rob Rich 26 Oct, 2011


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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/bring-sandwiches-review/
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The Portable Podcast, Episode 108

We have to go back, Kate!

On This Episode:

  • Carter speaks to Jeremiah Slaczka of 5th Cell about Scribblenauts Remix, and his thoughts on how the mobile gaming industry compares to the handheld game industry.
  • Carter speaks to Marek Wyszynski of Infinite Dreams about their new tower defense game, Jelly Defense.
  • Who We Are:

  • Host: Carter Dotson
  • Guest: Jeremiah Slaczka, 5th Cell
  • Guest: Marek Wyszynski, Infinite Dreams
  • Music:

  • “Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:
  • “Nanocarp” by The Eternal
  • How to Listen:

  • Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:
  • Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.
  • Listen Here:
  • Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

    Scribblenauts Remix


    Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
    Buy Now:
    $4.99
    Our Rating: ★★★★½ :: SPARK OF GENIUS
    Read Our Full Review >>
    Released: 2011-10-12 :: Category: Games



    Jelly Defense


    Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
    Buy Now:
    $2.99
    Our Rating: ★★★☆☆ :: PRETTY & DIFFICULT
    Read Our Full Review >>
    Released: 2011-09-29 :: Category: Games

    Apps mentioned in this post: Jelly Defense, Scribblenauts Remix


    About: The Portable Podcast, Episode 108 is a post from 148Apps

    Carter Dotson 26 Oct, 2011
    enclosure: audio/mpeg


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    Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/portable-podcast-episode-108/
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    Moving to the iCloud

    Apple’s new iCloud service is the promise of MobileMe made real. Imagine a PC-free future, traveling our world with an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and yes, even a Mac or PC, without ever having to sync them together again. Apple’s got that future started with iCloud, and we spent a little time trying it out. We’ve untethered our iPhone and iPad and we’re here to tell you how to do it and how it works.

    Before we start, though, here’s a quick video, right from Apple, explaining the concept.

    iPhone Unleashed
    iCloud wants to be the basis of our wireless future. The basics of iCloud are contained in the settings app on the iPhone and iPad, the System Preferences on a Mac, and the iCloud Control Panel on a Windows PC. First up, we needed to update our iTunes to version 10.5, then our iPhone 4 to iOS 5, via that new iTunes. When activating a new iOS device, users will see a couple of new screens to walk them through the iCloud setup. The best way to do this is to log in with an Apple ID, either one that already exists, or creating a new one from the iCloud screens.

    For details on how to deal with Apple accounts in a family or work group, check our article iOS 5, iCloud, and iTunes – Set Up in a Multiple Device Family. If a MobileMe user, transition that account to an iCloud one here: Me.com. In addition, users can use the iCloud web interface if away from their own specific devices: iCloud.com.

    One Screen to Rule Them All. Sort of.
    Once we got our devices set up, it was a simple matter of tapping into the Settings app and choosing what we wanted to sync and what we didn’t. We found that when we tried to enable Notes syncing, we were prompted to create a free @me.com address to enable the feature. This first iCloud settings screen also allows users to enable Photo Stream and Documents & Data, two really powerful and almost magical features of iCloud. Take a picture on one device, and it will be sent to all other devices set up with the Photo Stream feature enabled with the same Apple ID. Create a Pages or Keynote document on the iPad and then it shows up on the iPhone, ready for editing there.

    On our iPad, for instance, we were prompted to set up Photo Stream the first time we went to the Photos app after updating to iOS 5. Once enabled, the app shows a Photo Stream tab at the top of the page, and all photos taken with our iPhone since setting it up with Photo Stream were displayed. The same thing happens in the iPhoto app on our OS X Lion Mac, with a Photo Stream tab in the left sidebar. What an amazing, labor free way to get our photos to everything we use.

    The Storage & Backup Conundrum
    So we want to cut the cord and live PC-free – one thing of concern is keeping our iOS devices backed up. This is a silent feature when doing an iTunes sync, but we need to be more cognizant of it via iCloud in case our device needs to be replaced. iCloud includes the ability to do a backup, and even includes a free 5 GB of storage space to do so.

    At the bottom of the iCloud preferences screen, there is a Storage & Backup button. Tapping that leads to the preference screen that showed us what we had available for our storage options. Users start with 5GB free and can add more storage, should they need it, for fairly competitive prices. If iCloud Backup is on, then the iOS device will automatically back up the camera roll, accounts, documents and settings when the device is plugged in, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. When we enabled our iPad & iPhone for iCloud backup, we were warned that we would no longer backup to iTunes when we connected to the computer. Bring it on! The initial backup to iCloud can take a while, but incremental backups afterward are much quicker. And hey, they usually happen in the middle of the night while our iPhone is charging – we don’t even notice them.

    Check out this quick CNET User video to see how that all looks:

    Tweaking the iCloud Backup
    Each iCloud enabled device has options – use them. The first screen, accessed by tapping “Manage Storage” on each individual device, shows a short list of some apps that are backed up and the storage they are taking up. A “Show All Apps” option at the end of the list will in fact show users all the apps they have on the device. By default, all apps are backed up – users can remove them from backup, which might be a good idea for apps that store lots of data, like Spotify, Rdio, Zinio, and others.

    Once we turned off our Camera Roll backup (7.7 G on the iPhone alone), our backup size across both our iPhone and iPad, was a mere 1 G or so. We pulled all the photos off of our devices onto our Mac before this, of course, and will use the Photo Stream function to make sure all new photos are synced to the Mac as well. It’s still hard to think of the Mac as anything other than a hub, since it’s less vulnerable to data loss or theft than a mobile device.

    iCloud backs up:

    • Purchased music, TV shows, apps, and books
    • Photos and video in the Camera Roll
    • Device settings
    • App data
    • Home screen and app organization
    • Messages (iMessage, MMS, and SMS)
    • Ringtones

    iTunes In The Cloud
    Accessed in the Store table of the Settings app, users may enable the automatic downloading of music, apps, and books to all enabled devices. Any new purchase will then be sent to all devices connected to the same iTunes account. Even past purchases can be downloaded to all these devices. Users can now access all their purchase history from the iTunes store on any iOS device, Mac, or even Apple TV. Purchase once, download on up to ten devices, five of which can be computers.

    As we pointed out in our article about a multi-device family or workgroup, enabling the automatic downloads feature may or may not be in anyone’s best interest. While not strictly an iCloud feature, the Store has been pointed to as one of iCloud’s features across the web. If automatic downloads are enabled for any one iTunes account, that device will be prevented from accessing any different Apple ID accounts for 90 days. Each individual user will have to decide this one for themselves. If we only had one Apple ID, though, we’d enable this in a minute, as it allows for music, apps and books to be synced to each and every enabled device owned, a magical feature to say the least. USers can enable automatic downloads on up to ten devices, five of which can be computers.

    The PC Free Future
    Overall, we’ve found the experience of un-tethering our devices from our Mac fairly pain free. Once we were able to pick and choose what apps to backup, the 5 G of free space seemed fairly generous. We can imagine a hypothetical user who would buy an iPad and an iPhone and never have to purchase a separate computer. Of course, there are potential risks involved with that as well. Trusting all of our data to iCloud is a case of putting all our eggs in one basket. We’re not *quite* ready to do so, but not due to any difficulty with the service itself as it now stands. We’ve carried our PC-free iOS devices around for a couple of weeks now and the backup continues automagically, our photos appear on all our devices, and things seem hunky dory. That could change at any moment, though we think Apple is a calculated risk and willingly place our data in their hands for the time being.



    About: Moving to the iCloud is a post from 148Apps

    Rob LeFebvre 26 Oct, 2011


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    Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/moving-icloud/
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    Garmin Enters The Fitness App World With Garmin Fit

    Garmin is renowned for their GPS navigation apps such as Garmin StreetPilot onDemand. Away from iOS devices, it’s also renowned for its numerous fitness watches. The two haven’t been combined however, until now that is. Garmin’s first fitness app has just been announced along with the ANT+ adapter for the iPhone that will allow the use of optional accessories.

    The fitness app, Garmin Fit, allows users to track numerous exercise related figures such as speed, pace, distance, time and calories. It maps and automatically uploads workouts to Garmin Connect in order to track totals, set goals and even share workouts with friends and family amongst an online community of more than 70 million activities around the world. With a tap of a button, users can check everything as well as control their music from within the app. Even calls and SMS messages can be checked without interrupting the app and the all important workout.

    Upon completion, information and notes can be entered and sent to the user’s account within the Garmin Connect community. A series of graphs and charts means that the user can track how they’re progressing with the past 30 days of activities available from within the Garmin Fit app.

    Taking a look at the Garmin Fit screenshots, it looks like it’ll be a very easy app to use keeping everything simple yet just what anyone could want from a fitness tracking app. It’ll be interesting to see how it performs against the likes of RunKeeper.

    The ANT+ adapter is priced at $49.99 and enables users to track important figures such as heart rate and cadence directly on their iPhone when paired with relevant optional accessories such as the footpod sensor that allows users to train indoors and still monitor their progress. It’s an ideal accessory for gym sessions as well as outdoor running.

    Garmin Fit will be a very affordable $0.99 upon release. Check out the screenshots in the meantime.

    Apps mentioned in this post: RunKeeper


    About: Garmin Enters The Fitness App World With Garmin Fit is a post from 148Apps

    Jennifer Allen 26 Oct, 2011


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    Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/garmin-enters-fitness-app-world-garmin-fit/
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    Monster Warrior Review

    Monster Warrior Review

    By
    on October 25th, 2011
    Our Rating: ★★★☆☆ :: SLOPPY SLICING
    iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

    Use a finger to slice and dice monsters in this predictable game with a spooky twist.

     

    Developer: Sparkin’ Apps LTD

    Price: $0.99
    Version Reviewed: 1.03
    Device Reviewed On: iPhone 3GS

    Graphics / Sound Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    Gameplay Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    Replay Value Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

    Overall Rating: 3.13 out of 5 stars

    The name Monster Warrior may be a bit misleading. What sounds like a game in which players take on the role of a gallant armored hero struggling in battle against demonic denizens is actually a game where players use their fingers to slice through cute little monsters flying around on the screen. The game has it’s small charms, but generally it is very derivative and lacks some polish that would help it stand up better against similar games.

    Monster Warrior works in much the same way as the popular Fruit Ninja game. Monsters randomly fly across the screen and players use their fingers to trace a line on the monsters the screen that will chop them in half. There is a nebulous plot to the game that involves some fluffy bunnies escaping from a witches lair, but it is unclear how this really relates to the gameplay other than having bunnies appear in some of the game modes which players must avoid cutting.

    The game has several modes, including a survival mode where players must slice all of the monsters while avoiding bunnies, and a freestyle mode has players slicing as many monsters as they can in a timed game. The gameplay is almost identical to the aforementioned slicing game, but there are some subtle differences. Some of the monsters are lobbed up from the bottom of the screen, while other flying monsters might swoop down from the top of the screen making things a little more interesting.

    The visuals in Monster Warrior are passable and they give the game a welcomed whimsical tone. The most disappointing thing about the visuals is the way the monsters split when they are sliced. Other slice and dice games take care to make their models split along the lines traced by the player’s fingers. In Monster Warrior, however, it seems as though the monster models have been pre-split and will always split along the same predetermined lines no matter how they players traced line passes through them.

    Monster Warrior isn’t a groundbreaking game by any means. It does justice to the slice and dice style of its genre, but there are a few things it could be doing better to stack up more favorably against the competition. That said, players looking for a spooky slicing game to help them get into the Halloween spirit may like this one.



    Apps mentioned in this post: Fruit Ninja, Monster Warrior


    About: Monster Warrior Review is a post from 148Apps

    Jason Wadsworth 26 Oct, 2011


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    Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/monster-warrior-review/
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    Incredible Express HD Review

    Incredible Express HD Review

    By
    on October 25th, 2011
    Our Rating: ★★★★☆ :: ALL ABOARD!
    iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

    This new train adventure combines many familiar game elements to create lovable characters and a friendly environment. Gameplay is amusing and has the right amount of challenging goals to keep players satisfied.

     

    Developer: Chillingo
    Price: $2.99
    Version Reviewed: 1.0
    Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

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

    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

    Incredible Express from Chillingo hits the iPad as an all-new train adventure. This game is a great fit for players who love the farm and tycoon game genre. Incredible Express mixes together the perfect blend of these two genres to create a fun and new experience that provides several hours of entertainment.

    Throughout the game, players follow the story of Maria, a young entrepreneur with ambitions goals to start a profitable train company. Some doubt that her old, beat-up engine can accomplish such goals, but her ambition and hard work pays off as she proves herself as a trusted shipping expert. In order to help Maria build her business, players must build new tracks and pick up cargo from various business owners and deliver the goods back to town to be sold. Each level has a set number of items that must be picked up from the townspeople and delivered back to town. Tasks start off as simple as picking up corn from the local farmer to having items flown in by plane and delivering them to manufacturers to make burgers and even sushi. The tasks and gameplay are very similar to Farm Frenzy, which admittedly has been one of my guilty pleasures. Fans of this game and others like it are sure to find a comfortable home with Incredible Express.

    As players advance through the game, money is earned to purchase upgrades such as new engines that can haul additional carts. As more and more tasks are completed, the gameplay progressively gets more difficult. I built up some confidence in early levels, but was quickly humbled as levels tested my wits by making the goals more difficult with shorter time constraints. I really had to prioritize and learn how the tracks worked in order to play efficiently to accomplish the goals.

    The controls are simple and are what is to be expected from any game in this genre. The entire game can be played using only one finger. The graphics and music are also what anyone would expect. They aren't anything spectacular by any means, but I do think they fit well and combine together to make a friendly environment.

    My overall impressions of this game are good and I would recommend it to anyone who loves farm/tycoon games. Its over 80 challenging levels kept me on my toes as I tried to accomplished the goals within the time limits. While the concept and gameplay of Incredible Express aren’t new or revolutionary, I find it to be a great hybrid of game elements that players have come to love.



    Apps mentioned in this post: Farm Frenzy, Incredible Express HD


    About: Incredible Express HD Review is a post from 148Apps

    Michael Halloran 26 Oct, 2011


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    Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/incredible-express-hd-review/
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