Zombie Minesweeper Review

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Zombie Minesweeper Review

By Rob Rich on August 25th, 2011
Our Rating: :: NUMBER MUNCHERS
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Zombie Minesweeper makes a pretty convincing case for the idea of zombies making everything better.

 

Developer: Frogtoss Games
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.4
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

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

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Having only really gotten into classic number and shape games like Minesweeper and Tangrams within the past few years, I find myself trying to make up for lots of lost time. I’ve been messing around with lots of different iOS iterations because, let’s face it, everyone needs these basics on their devices. Having said that, I was somewhat skeptical about adding them to this flag-dropping fiasco.

A good deal of zombie games are nothing more than developers tossing shambling corpses into places they don’t belong to make a quick buck, but not Zombie Minesweeper. Zombie Minesweeper does it right; mixing both elements into a kind of hybrid genre rather than tacking one on top of the other. It plays like a bizarre combination of action game and Minesweeper, with players tapping around the screen in order to (carefully) move the main character and plant flags through a series of increasingly treacherous minefields. Reaching the detonator at the end will clear the level (literally) and create a chain of explosions as marked mines blow-up sequentially. Of course, it wouldn’t be called Zombie Minesweeper if there weren’t any zombies. And are there ever zombies. Boy howdy.

Being pursued by a number of freshly animated woodland creature corpses (racoons, snails, rats, etc.) adds an interesting twist on the classic formula: panic. Staring at a grid and deciding if the mine is next to the “1″ or the “3″ can be tough on its own, but try doing with with mobs of flesh-hungry kitty cats closing in. There are a few weapons to help combat the legions of living dead, however. Timed bombs can be placed in order to clear out large groups, a shotgun can transform an individual (or many if they stand close together) into red mist and so on. Of course, each weapon has limited uses with more “ammo” sprinkled throughout each level, so it’s important to really think about just how important reducing that undead dog to mush is in the grand scheme of things.

I have noticed a couple of occasional issues with the on-screen buttons not registering, which has resulted in all manner of bad things as my character ran straight into a mine I’d intended to mark or a group of zombies I meant to bomb. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s kind of annoying. Thankfully the only thing lost through death is a gold medal.

It would have been easy for Frogtoss Games to just slap a zombie theme on a numbered grid and be done with it, but they’ve really put a lot of thought into this oddball marriage. It’s certainly not easy (or relaxing), but it’s a lot of fun and a clever twist on the classic formula. Minesweeper and zombie fans alike should definitely check out Zombie Minesweeper.

Zombie Minesweeper

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: $0.99 $1.99

Our Rating: :: NUMBER MUNCHERS
Read Our Full Review >>

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

Apps mentioned in this post: Zombie Minesweeper


About: Zombie Minesweeper Review is a post from 148Apps

Rob Rich 26 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/zombie-minesweeper-review/
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Furmins: Cute And Fluffy Physics Puzzling Coming Soon

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I’ll admit that having seen and played many different physics based puzzle games, they have to be pretty special looking to excite me. Furmins could well be that game though.

For one thing, Furmins is from Housemarque, developers of console hits such as Super Stardust HD, Outland and Dead Nation. For another, it looks fun!

Having made its debut at Gamescom earlier this month, there’s a new gameplay trailer to absorb along with a series of screenshots. Furmins is all about players having to guide a series of loveable creatures by the same name across numerous levels by rearranging items and carefully manoevring bumpers and conveyor belts.

A two pronged release is planned with two different versions to choose from. A Freemium and Universal version provides 12 playable levels with more possible to buy via in-app purchases, kind of like a regular Lite version then. A Premium edition of the game will also be available with the choice of an Universal app or a cheaper iPhone/iPod version. The Premium version offers over 40 levels across 4 different game worlds, plus there’ll be a few in-app purchases available as well.

Promising multiple different ways to solve each level, Furmins looks like it could be an interesting one to keep an eye on. It’ll be out later this year.

About: Furmins: Cute And Fluffy Physics Puzzling Coming Soon is a post from 148Apps

Jennifer Allen 25 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/furmins-cute-fluffy-physics-puzzling-coming/
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SPY Mouse Review

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SPY Mouse Review

By Rob Rich on August 25th, 2011
Our Rating: :: FREE THE CHEESE
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Liberate the Limburger in this death-defying, secret agent-shuffling, feline-fleeing line-drawing game.

 

Developer: Firemint
Price: PRICE
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

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

Overall Rating: 4.44 out of 5 stars

I almost always have preconceived notions whenever I start playing a game for the first time. For better or worse, I just can’t help but assume things based on videos, screens shots, user reviews and so on. Based on my general disinterest in line-drawing games, recent releases notwithstanding, I wasn’t expecting to be as enamored with SPY Mouse as I have been. Yes it’s the latest title from Firemint, makers of all things awesome on iOS, but I still had my doubts. Mmmmmm, Humble Pie.

SPY Mouse follows the exploits of one Agent Squeak as he attempts to liberate some wayward cheeses from their fascist oppressors. Or something to that effect. In practice, it involves tracing a path for the diminutive double-o in order to steer him around dangers, through the cheese and to the exit. Instead of directing multiple targets players will be controlling Agent Squeak exclusively, requiring some altogether new strategies compared to what Firemint fans are probably used to. This includes completing a level by tracing a single line, never getting spotted and so on. Flight Control this is not.

SPY Mouse is certainly a looker with it’s highly polished cartoon visuals, but the music really steals the show. The soundtrack takes inspiration from virtually every spy movie and TV show throughout history, creating a sound that isn’t entirely unique but fits the theme perfectly. It really sells the lighthearted silliness of it all. As do the over-the-top boss fights. Yes, boss fights.

Another great quality of SPY Mouse is its longevity. Six different worlds with their own unique challenges, over 70 levels and three ribbons to earn for each. It’s the ribbons that really do it; asking players to finish in under a certain time, make a cat run into a wall and the like. Completing a level is all fine and dandy, but getting all three ribbons (which thankfully don’t have to be earned all in one go) takes some doing. Even in the first world.

The only issues I’ve come across are those that we’ve all come to expect with the genre. Namely fingers getting in the way of the action on occasion, as well as an unintended hand movement tracing a line that’s just slightly off the mark. It’s nothing that breaks the experience or even lessens the fun, but sometimes Agent Squeak will have to have a do-over. That’s just how it is I suppose.

SPY Mouse has been “two years in the making,” and it shows. It might “just” be a line-drawing game, but it’s one of the best and most thought-out line drawing games on the App Store. Fans of games like this should snap it up right away. Everyone else should still give it a try. It might just win them over.

SPY mouse

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

Our Rating: :: FREE THE CHEESE
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-08-25 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Flight Control, SPY mouse


About: SPY Mouse Review is a post from 148Apps

Jordan Minor 25 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/spy-mouse-review/
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Fractal: Make Blooms Not War Review

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Fractal: Make Blooms Not War Review

By Jordan Minor on August 25th, 2011
Our Rating: :: HEXAGONAL BLISS
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

Fractal: Make Blooms Not War is a new puzzle game from the people who brought you Auditorium and Pulse: Volume One.

 

Developer: Cipher Prime
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

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

Overall Rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars

Cipher Prime first landed on the App Store with Pulse: Volume One, a quality rhythm game whose entrancing mechanics and minimalist aesthetics drew players into a highly enjoyable state of serenity. With their newest release Fractal: Make Blooms Not War, a port of a PC/Mac game, they have applied those same principles to a puzzle game and the trippy results are once again fantastic.

Let it be known that playing Fractal: Make Blooms Not War is noticeably easier than trying to describe it. Hexagonal tiles are laid across a grid and tapping the spaces between them causes them to push out and multiply. Once enough tiles of the same color are joined together to form one or more larger hexagons they bloom and are erased from the board. Blooms increase the score and a high enough score clears the board.

It's a novel concept, although occasionally too reliant on sheer luck, that the game gets a surprising amount of mileage out of. Outside of the 30-level campaign where boards must be cleared in a limited number of pushes, there's the fiendishly clever puzzle mode that tasks players with setting up specific chain reactions as well as the arcade mode that gives players an infinite number of pushes to clear as many boards as possible before time runs out. It's not immediately apparent how to succeed in this game, and the occasionally fidgety touch controls don't always help, but these different modes do a great job at teaching players how to find their groove.

Combine that with a slick visual style and ambient music in line with the developer's pedigree. For example, whenever certain power-ups or board-clearing blooms take effect, the screen zooms in and the music warps, emphasizing the point in a very satisfying, Peggle-like, way. It's a shame though that there only seems to be one song, albeit on that becomes more layered as sessions progress. At least there are leaderboards and support for OpenFeint and Game Center.

The one thing all great puzzle games share is the ability to induce players into a state where they stop thinking and are just playing. Fractal: Make Blooms Not War is one of those games and anyone looking for a cheap yet high-quality iPad puzzle game should definitely give it a look.

Fractal: Make Blooms Not War

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: $1.99

Our Rating: :: HEXAGONAL BLISS
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-08-18 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Fractal: Make Blooms Not War, Peggle, Pulse : Volume One


About: Fractal: Make Blooms Not War Review is a post from 148Apps

Jordan Minor 25 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/fractal-blooms-war-review/
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Bungie Aerospace Announces Crimson: Steam Pirates

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It was only a few months ago that we announced that Bungie, makers of the Halo franchise, were entering the iOS market. Under the name of Bungie Aerospace, it wasn’t all too clear exactly what games to expect of the developer. That is until now.

It turns out that Bungie Aerospace is the label given to a project by Bungie that’s set out to help small independent developers launch their mobile and social games. The first title undertaken through this concept is going to be that of Crimson: Steam Pirates.

Developed by HareBrained Schemes, Crimson: Steam Pirates has some great pedigree behind it with some of its team having contributed to the likes of MechWarrior, Shadowrun and Crimson Skies and numerous other titles.

Crimson: Steam Pirates is going to be a turn-based strategy game that promises a mix of strategy and action as players must anticipate and counter their enemies’ moves. As an iPad exclusive, Crimson: Steam Pirates offers the first chapter of the game for free and include 8 missions (or voyages, to keep the nautical theme) in all, as well as two ‘pass-and-play’ multiplayer scenarios.

Plenty of depth should be on offer with over a dozen types of ships, subs and airships promised. There’ll also be 20 crew members with unique special abilities, that will hopefully mix things up nicely. Something else to be excited about: there’ll be Bungie.net integration offering leaderboards and what we hope will be a plethora of statistics to compare with friends. Those who have played Halo online recently will know what we’re talking about. Bungie knows how to do online statistics wonderfully well.

For the lucky souls attending PAX Prime, Crimson: Steam Pirates will be available to play at the event. For everyone else, it’s not long to wait with the game set for release on September 1st on the iPad only.

About: Bungie Aerospace Announces Crimson: Steam Pirates is a post from 148Apps

Jordan Minor 25 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/bungie-aerospace-announces-crimson-steam-pirates/
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