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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Pocket RPG iPhone Edition Review

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Pocket RPG iPhone Edition Review

By Carter Dotson on September 13th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: SHALLOW BUT GOOD
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Pocket RPG iPhone Edition is an actual pocket-sized version of the hack ‘n slash game previously released only for iPad.

Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.05
Device Reviewed On: iPod touch 4

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

Overall Rating: 4.13 out of 5 stars

Pocket RPG is a hack ‘n slash game for people who hate the elements besides the hacking and slashing. Sure, Pocket RPG has leveling, experience, item acquisition, and all the basic elements that make RPGs, well, RPGs. However, it’s also all too willing to eschew them while keeping the basic gameplay intact. Players play as one of three classes: the ranged-weapon using Dark Archer, the magic-wielding Battle Mage, and the Blade Master, this game’s tank. Players travel through the worlds, utilizing dual-stick controls (though the Blade Master just has an attack button) to kill enemies and collect gold and items which are then used to kill more enemies. Typical elements of the genre.

This game is ultimately unafraid to be shallow. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. Items can be sold anywhere, for example. The game resets character progress after each chapter, which is a double-edged sword. This means that players don’t get the long-term satisfaction of having an absurdly-leveled character they’ve developed over the course of the game. However, this means that players get the satisfaction of leveling up frequently, sometimes even multiple times in one wave of enemies! There are also skill and weapon upgrades that can be purchased between worlds, though the character resets to level 1 for each chapter. Essentially, Pocket RPG trades in short-term satisfaction.

As the full title Pocket RPG iPhone Edition says, this is an iPhone and iPod touch version of the standard Pocket RPG that was released for the iPad earlier this year. Yes, the game can now finally be played on an actual pocket-sized device! The name is no longer a misnomer! The iPhone Edition features the same content as the iPad edition, and there’s not any real disadvantages beyond the smaller screen size for the iPhone Edition. The iPad version will be made universal soon, though, so that may be the version to get for multiple-device owners.

Pocket RPG‘s commitment to a smaller scope of RPG hack ‘n slash gameplay is great for those who like the hack ‘n slash aspects of these games, but less of the RPG aspects. People like myself who find themselves curious about the genre but not willing to invest deeply will love this game because it focuses on the satisfying elements, and it doesn’t mess around much at all. The core RPG audience will find this one too shallow for their tastes.

Pocket RPG iPhone Edition

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $0.99

Our Rating:

:: SHALLOW BUT GOOD
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-09-01 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Pocket RPG iPhone Edition

About: Pocket RPG iPhone Edition Review is a post from 148Apps

Carter Dotson 14 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/pocket-rpg-iphone-edition-review/
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Race Illegal Review

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Race Illegal Review

By Lisa Caplan on September 13th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: FAST AND FAMILIAR
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Race Illegal is Chilingo’s run at racing sims and come up with a stylish but casual affair

Developer: Chillingo LTD

Price: $.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.95 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.99 out of 5 stars

Chillingo's Race Illegal has been greeted with a mix of excitement and cynicism. With parent EA owning two other major iOS racing franchises where does Race Illegal fit?

There are a solid variety of racing challenges from multi car circuits, to damage-free runs, to drift challenges.The main action takes place in a story-driven career mode. Here players can adopt an avatar and watch some so-bad-you-have-to-stare conversation from the street racers before getting behind the wheel. After some successful racing in Career, Quick Races begin to unlock for those who prefer a more pick-up-ad-play dynamic.

The car selection is limited, but allows for a decent amount of in-car tweaking from color and decal to more important performance enhancements like better handling and faster acceleration. Race Illegal offers leaderboards, 29 Crystal and Game Center achievements as well as many Crystal-only challenges.

The controls are excellent – there are several manual settings, but accelerometer play is easy with extremely responsive cars. The animation is good too, and the roadsters take on a lot of visible damage, which is always gratifying. However, while the graphics are solid, we’ve seen better in recent racing releases.

The dashboard has some neat items like a working rear-view, great multi-view mini-maps of the race, and all the standard view points while a swipe up unleashes a nitro boost. Newcomers to iOS racing should enjoy this, but for those who have played the big franchise titles there is nothing new on offer. The tracks are long with vast straightaways and no hairpin or hair-raising turns, at least not into into class B. The tracks are so simple, in fact, I haven't needed the break once.

The most unrealistic feature – detracting from the whole package – is the rubber banding: no matter how badly I'd crash the other cars seemed to just hover, waiting for me to catch up. In the end, success is less about driving skill and more about upgrading the car to its fullest potential so it can't be defeated in its division.

The game defaults to an external cinematic view when a racer jumps while nitro-powered. It's cool visually, but drivers have no control over the vehicle during that time, which means landing can often be face-to-face with an oncoming semi. The developers at Apetrus have reported that the slo-mo view will have an off switch in a planned update and a multiplayer mode is in the works.

Race Illegal isn't going to drop jaws, but its a solid racer thats a lot of fun to play. And the branding – Chillingo – is a good choice. This is a racer that looks arcade, but plays casual enough for all skill levels to enjoy. At $.99 for a universal title, it's worth adding to a racing fan's collection.

Race illegal: High Speed 3D

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

Our Rating:

:: FAST AND FAMILIAR
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-09-08 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Race illegal: High Speed 3D

About: Race Illegal Review is a post from 148Apps

Lisa Caplan 13 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/race-illegal-review/
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PostSecret Lets Users Share Their Deepest Secrets, Anonymity Guaranteed

at 7:47 AM

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Some time ago, a man by the name of Frank Warren started a little project. He invited people to send him anonymous postcards with a personal secret attached, and a lot of people ended up sending in a lot of cards. In fact, he received so many responses he was able to put all of these secret confessions into several books. And now, the project has entered the world of social networking.

PostSecret, the app, allows users to take pictures and type out accompanying words as they bare any hidden part of their life they choose. Other users can also send replies if they want to. The anonymity this app affords people is no joke: no personal information is ever revealed, exact locations (via GPS) are never stored, it’s possible to choose a general location such as a city or school, no sign up is required and secrets don’t have to be stored on the device. Granted, they need to be stored if a user wishes to monitor responses, but accessing them requires a personalized code. PostSecret takes the privacy of its users very seriously.

Those interested in confessing anonymously to the entire world, or those content to silently dig through random strangers’ dirty laundry, can check out PostSecret on the App Store right now.

PostSecret

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $1.99
Released: 2011-09-03 :: Category: Social Networking

Apps mentioned in this post: PostSecret

About: PostSecret Lets Users Share Their Deepest Secrets, Anonymity Guaranteed is a post from 148Apps

Rob Rich 13 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/postsecret-lets-users-share-deepest-secrets-anonymity-guaranteed/
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Photo Academy Review

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Photo Academy Review

By Jennifer Allen on September 13th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: COMPREHENSIVE
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Photo Academy is a comprehensive guide to all things photography.

Developer: Aspyre Solutions
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

iPhone Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

For the creative type, it’s pretty exciting to try to master the use of a digital camera. It’s also pretty darn daunting. As the owner of a bridge camera, a halfway point between a basic compact camera and a full blown DSLR, I can feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of options available to me. Being able to adjust every single setting possible is amazing but also intimidating, making it all too easy to take the safe option and set everything to auto. While a plethora of books can help me out, it’s not very convenient taking the books around with me for consultation as and when I need help. This makes Photo Academy ideal.

Photo Academy is an app that’s more an encyclopaedia than just a simple guide to how to take better photos. For the $3.99 asking price it offers tons of information covering pretty much every scenario possible. Divided up into three core sections, it’s easy to navigate.

The ideal starting place is that of Photo 101 which explains all the basics as well as some advanced techniques. Explanations are offered for the differences between compact cameras and DSLRs along with basic tips and tricks, even how best to hold a camera. More detailed advice is offered with analysis of exposure modes, all camera settings, composition advice and equipment explanations. Information is also provided on the importance of depth of field, the histogram, why it’s useful to take photos in RAW format rather than JPEG and even a section on photo editing afterwards. It’s extensive stuff and if that was all that was offered within the app, Photo Academy would still be a useful app.

Further to that however comes the How To section which covers every possible subject in terms of what can be photographed. Everything from aquarium situations, safaris, babies, candid shots, cityscapes, festivals, food, disabled sports, extreme sports and macro photography of flowers is covered. That’s scratching the surface as the amount of different subjects is impressive indeed. Each section is divided up accordingly with each subject provided with general tips, appropriate camera settings to use, relevant equipment, lighting tips, creativity tips and a gallery of images for inspiration. The photographs for each area are glorious to look at but for the disk space frugal user, there’s the option to download these images as and when required. Users can still explore the app while such photos are downloading which is pretty useful.

Finally comes the Shoot Diary section in which users can record their latest photos along with notes, the date, location and weather conditions. In theory people can use this to learn from past experience and see the improvements in their photography as they progress.

Photo Academy offers an intelligent package of content. It’s hard to find anything that’s missed out here. If something is missing, users can submit an idea to the app’s developers so hopefully future updates will be perfectly in tune with the user’s needs. For the photographer, whether they are a total novice or keen amateur, this is the ideal app for reference.

Photo Academy

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $0.99 ~~$3.99~~

Our Rating:

:: COMPREHENSIVE
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-08-18 :: Category: Photography

Apps mentioned in this post: Photo Academy

About: Photo Academy Review is a post from 148Apps

Jennifer Allen 13 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/photo-academy-review/
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Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Comes To iOS

at 6:32 AM

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Learning a new language is challenging work. Fortunately technology is around to make things a little simpler courtesy of apps like Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

The app is aimed at those learning English as a foreign language, promising cutting edge features such as full sentence pronunciations and thousands of detailed graphics that aim to bring words and definitions to life.

In all, there are 58,000 example sentences that can be listened to with the option for either British or American voices. 183,500 words, phrases and meanings are explained clearly with an integrated thesaurus providing plenty of synonyms and lists of collocations. As the dictionary will explain, collocations are words that go together. See? Even as a first language, there’s a whole bunch of words that could be learned through this app!

Priced at $28.99, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is on the heftier side of pricing but it’s for a good reason. It’s a comprehensive app and one that a book of the same depth would be considerably more expensive. For those learning English as a foreign language, this is an invaluable resource.