An amazing week for iPod App Addictors

Hi and sorry for didn't update my blog for such a long time. Actually I didn't have time and didn't bother to update my blog. But seeing there are so many apps - both free and paid being released, or soon to be released by the end of this week I think I'll just post a quick link about them.

Note that the list of games below are the one that I had tracked for a long time:
* The one with no price listed in the Paid section is due to released at the end of the weekend, at most.

Lite

• Bobby Carrot Forever Lite
  
• Deal or No Deal: Mission Dollar Mission Lite
  
• I Love Katamari Lite
• Radio Flare Lite
  

Paid

• iDracula ($0.99)
• Little Red Slet - 3D Racing ($1.99)
• Sway
  
• Vector Tanks ($2.99)
• Zen Bound

Until then, I think I'll easily spent over $20 on this week.

Hexagon-Shape-Based Games

Anyone notice a great amount of hex-shaped-based type puzzle game being developed nowadays?

Let me just list them all down:
Hex ($2.99)

Description:
Hex is yet another way to play the famous Lines game - this time on a hexagonal board. Drag a ball with your finger to form a line. As simple as that, but yet highly addictive. You have been warned!

The game starts with two balls chosen out of six different colors. The player can move one ball per turn, and the goal is to remove balls by forming lines of at least five balls of the same color. Hexagonal board makes the game trickier to play compared to classic Lines.

Like with all our games (and unlike our competitors) board size, number of colors, etc is configurable, so you (not the program) decide how challenging you want your game to be. Yep, we too like to play it dumb sometimes and max the board, min the colors.

Do check our other Lines games as well: Lines - the classic and Triangle - Lines on Triangular board.

Enjoy!

HexTerritory ($0.99)

- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hex"]Hex[/URL] $2.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hex-territory"]HexTerritory[/URL] $0.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexlines"]HexLines[/URL] $1.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexterity"]Hexterity[/URL] $3.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexy"]Hexy[/URL] $0.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexile"]Hexile[/URL] $2.99 ([URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexile-free"]Free[/URL])
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexus"]Hexus[/URL] $1.99 ([URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexus-lite"]Lite[/URL])
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexspin"]HexSpin[/URL] $0.99
- [URL="http://appshopper.com/games/hexlok"]HexLok[/URL] $0.99

[Games] Snail Mail

App Name: Snail Mail
Developer: Snail Mail
Price: $1.99
Category: Games
Type: Racing
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: No
Online leaderboard: No
Graphics: Cell-shaded 3D
Controls: Touch Screen, Accelerometer
Awards: No
Time limit: No (Yes in Time Trial Mode)
Selectable difficulty: No (Tracks become more complicated as you progress)
Total Levels: 50
Game play mode:

• Adventure (Postal Mode) - Collect the item that appears along the track. Successfully collect all the items in a track will rewards you with bonus scores.
• Challenge Mode - Customizable racing speed to provide more faster and intense racing experience. You can also replay your race.
• Time Trial Mode - Race against your best time.

Objectives: Race your snail to the finish line.

Features:

• Unique tracks includes cockscrew, loops, etc.
• Upgradable weapon powers by passing through the white shining loop.

Pros:

• Smooth game play with no lag at all.
• Fast-paced game play.

Cons:

• Cannot customize the snail.

Trivia:

• When falling down from the track you might heard "Abandon 'Shell'!!"

Links: [AppShopper] [iTunes Store Link]

[Games] Textropolis

App Name: Textropolis
Developer: Ian Marsh
Price: $0.99
Category: Games
Type: Word
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: No
Online leaderboard: No
Graphics: 2D
Controls: Touch Screen (tap)
Awards: No
Time limit: No
Selectable difficulty: No

Objectives: Forms as many words as you can from a country name without time limits.

Features:

• Clean and simple user interface.
• A flag will fly through the screen showing the meaning for the words you formed. Great to learn and explore new words.
• Can be played single-handedly thanks to its unique placement of alphabet tiles.
• Beautiful and animated/vibrant colored background and fonts will relax your mind.
• More cities to unlock when you formed a targeted numbers of words for each country. You start off with only one country name.
• Words that you have formed will be shown at the top screen.

Pros:

• Exploring words had never been so much fun before this game.

Cons:

• No hint system.
• As the number of the formed words increases, the size of the text will become smaller. There is no way to display more than 1 line of text.

Similar Game:

• wurdle [AppShopper iTunes Store]
  

Links: [AppShopper iTunes Store]

Games that I'm currently playing

Here is a list of the games that I most played for this week.

• 7 Cities (Map 7 - Normal difficulty)
  
• Giant Jigsaw
  
• HydroTilt (level 26)
• Snail Mail (almost finish)
  
• Space Ninja (level 32)
• TanZen
  

Giant Jigsaw will be updated soon!

For those who are concern about the memory and battery usage for Giant Jigsaw, worry no more as they will improves the game that will cope with such problems.

Here's the email I received from the developer (January 6th) after I sent a suggestion to them few days ago.

Hello Gary,

I'm very glad to hear that Giant Jigsaw caught your eye. I also appreciate your feedback!

I will certainly try to incorporate your suggestions into my next version. Regarding the 2nd item on your list, I have a suggestion that may help. iTunes will by default downsample photos before copying them to your device. This is a great feature if a user only browses photos from the Photos app, but problematic for my application as they are very low resolution and would appear blurry if I made them into a large puzzle. I may be mistaken, but the latest version of iTunes may have an option to sync the original quality images. I believe it can be found in iTunes when your iPod Touch is plugged in if you select your device from the left panel (e.g. 'Gary's iPod'), then the 'Photos' tab in the middle of the screen, then the option 'Include original quality photos'. However, I am unsure if these photos will be accessible from the photo album list within my application, so I apologize if this does not fix the issue and will continue to look into this.

You may be excited to know that I'm already working on a 'Version 2.0' that will include exciting new features like the ability to sync a large puzzle on your iPhone or iPod Touch to a sister application that runs within a web browser on my website. Additionally, it will be multiplayer allowing you and your friends and family to share and collaborate on large puzzles---whether or not all of you own iPhone/iPods! This version will also allow 180 (and hopefully larger) piece user puzzles. Time permitting, I also hope to include multiple unlockable 3D environments.

As for the battery issue, I too have noticed this and have been attempting to make the app run more efficiently.

So keep an eye out around the end of Winter for a new release! Thanks again for the suggestions.

Cheers,
Eric

[Games] HydroTilt

App Name: HydroTilt
Developer: Publisher X
Price: $4.99
Category: Games
Type: Puzzle (Environment)
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: No
Online leaderboard: No
Graphics: 3D
Controls:

• Touch Screen (double tap to zoom out/in)
• Accelerometer (tilt to control the water drop)

Awards: No
Time limit: No
Selectable difficulty: No (Difficulty is pre-determined and various on levels)
Total Levels: 25 (Bonus stage will be unlocked by collecting the purple crystals)

Objectives: Tilt and guide your bead of water to the finish goal.

Features:

• Beautifully rendered 3D environment.
• You will need to use different water form to complete certain level.
• Smooth game play with calibration support.
• Great use of accelerometer. You will love it if you like to play Labyrinth!
• Bonus stage is unlocked once you managed to collect those purple crystals found on every level.
  

Pros:

• Unlike most puzzle game which will make you frustrated for being stuck at a same level over and over again, HydroTilt provide you with only one way to solve any level. In other words, you won't feel frustrated easily. To complete the puzzle you will need to foresight the environment such as buttons and movable platform in order to proceed. Most often you will fail a level not because for not being able to solve it, but fail to tilt your bead of water properly.
  

Cons:

• No challenge mode or time trial mode.
  

Other:

• It's fun to change the water form.
  

[Reference] Moneypedia

Price: $0.99

A great way to learn more about bank notes from various countries.

[YouTube Link - Review by iPhoneMelodie]
[AppShopper Link]
[iTunes Store App Link]

[Games] Giant Jigsaw

App Name: Giant Jigsaw
Price: $0.99
Category: Games
Type: Puzzle (Jigsaw)
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: No
Online leaderboard: No
Graphics: 3D
Controls:

• Touch Screen (Pinch) to zoom in and out.
• Tap once to select/rotate the jigsaw pieces.
  

Awards: No
Time limit: No
Selectable difficulty: No

Objectives: Complete a jigsaw pieces by placing all tiles correctly in places.

Features:

• A total new experience to play jigsaw puzzle on your iPhone/iPod Touch with fully 3D view for both the jigsaw pieces and landscape.
• Ability to solve large pieces of puzzle (with size greater than 4x4) by section.
• Replay features. You can replay any videos for only completed puzzles. The playing speed, however, is not in real time. It probably played at 2-3x speed.
• Soothing background music.
  

Cons:

• No tray which can be used to place the jigsaw pieces.
• The size of puzzle for any picture taken from the photo library is only limited to 4x4 size.
• Drains a huge amount of battery. Not an ideal app to use when traveling.
• Takes a couple of seconds to render the jigsaw pieces when using own pictures.
• Unable to download photos from website such as Flickr.
• No time limit mode where you race against time to complete the puzzle.
  

[AppShopper Link]
[iTunes App Store Link]

I Love Katamari - Avoid it at all cost!

If you had done your homework, you would have saw many reviews saying how awesome this game was. In my opinion, that sounds just about the opposite. The low frame rate and lagging issue really make this game deserve its place on my Must Avoided Game list.

Find out about this game review from iPhoneMeladie on YouTube here.

Believe me. You won't purchase it after you had watched that video review. Period.

For those who had purchased it, I feel sorry for you guys.

KamiCrazy control issues

Even though the developer promises a better responsive controls as in version 1.80, I still found it to be untrue. When I swipe my finger from left to right, sometimes it just didn't have any effects on those soldiers. This is way to annoying for level 25 onwards where you need to swipe the soldiers frequently. I also have several issues with diagonal jumping.

Definitely not worth getting this unless there's been a major update on it in near future.

[Games] Space Ninja

App Name: Space Ninja
Price: $3.99
Category: Games
Type: Action/Adventure
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: Yes (in the next update)
Online leaderboard: No
Graphics: 2D
Controls:

• Touch Screen (Tap) to activate slow motion mode.
  
• Accelerometer to control your spaceship.
  

Awards: Yes
Time limit: No
Selectable difficulty: Yes (in the next update)

Objectives: Maneuver your spacecraft to the finishing line while dodging enemies bullets. Items or slow motion mode can be used or triggered to ease the journey. Different metal will be awarded for not using any items, no slow-motion activation or having a high winning streak.
Features:

• 40 missions which could keep you entertained for long.
  
• Slow motion mode that ease your job to dodge enemies bullets. It can be activated by tapping anywhere on the screen.
  
• Different high-beat soundtrack for each stage.
  
• Ability to replay your previous records on any stage.
  
• Smooth game play with no lagging or crashing issues.

Pros:

• A nice twist to space arcade game whereby you dodge enemies bullets/attacks instead of shooting them.
  

Cons:

• No checkpoint. You will need to retry from the beginning on the level which you fail to pass.
• You can't customize your own spaceship according to your likings.
  

Other:

• It's pretty fun to use the slow motion effect like the one features in Max Payne (game).
  
• You'll often spellbounded on how you managed to dodge the bullets when replaying your records.

[AppShopper Link]
[iTunes Store App Link]

[Games] Hexile

App Name: Hexile
Price: $1.99
Category: Games
Type: Puzzle
Lite availability: No
Multiplayer support: No
Online leaderboard: Yes (in the next update)
Graphics: 2D
Controls:

• Touch Screen (Tap)
  

Unlockables: No
Time limit: Yes
Selectable difficulty: Yes (in the next update)

Objectives: Complete a level by tapping each and every number in ascending or descending order until they're all gone. Tapping on power ups won't interfere with the numbers. For example, 7 -> 8 -> 7 -> 6 -> 5 -> 4 -> 5 -> 6... You can't skip the numbers, example 7-> 9 -> 5...

Features:

• Time limit mode for fast-paced gamer.
  
• Different soundtrack for each stage that matches the theme well.
  
• Medieval style background.
• A number tracker on the upper-left corner that track your previous tapped number.
  

Pros:

• A nice twist to puzzle game available on App Store.
  

Cons:

• No award system. It does have a high score tracker instead.
• Nothing that can be unlocked.

Other:

• In later stage, you will mostly be amazed on how you managed to complete a puzzle without even knowing it.
  
• Planning is essential. Looks for the high and low frequency number and plan accordingly.
  

[YouTube Link]
[AppShopper Link]
[iTunes Store App Link]

[Games] Arvale: Journey of Illusion

By far the most interesting RPG games available on iPhone/iPod Touch. Although the screen size is small, well, about the same of the screen size of an iPod Classic, but you'll definitely enjoy the game. It features a virtual d-pad at the right and some useful buttons to interact with things and persons. You might probably having question like why bother to having a d-pad since we can just tap to wherever we want. Well, you can also tap to walk. You can't run in this game, not at all. I've tried to double tap on a location but there seems to be no effect at all. Your character walks, but not as slow as you would thought it might be. Personally I couldn't wonder why does the d-pad is located on the right though. Aren't every or most handheld devices place their d-pad on the left?

To start of, this game really does have a sense of humor when it comes to the dialog part. You will often laugh at yourself when choosing a line of dialog to reply. At least that's what I enjoy most about the game.

The graphics looks a bit like 16-bit classic but why bother? It's the storyline that appeal for a RPG game.

This game does offer a few soundtracks for cities and battles, just as any RPG game would do. The sound, however, does seems like a low quality sound. But bear with it as it will save your battery usage, hence allowing you to enjoy the game for a longer time while on the go.

To add some replay value, the developer even included some side-quests that you might take along your journey. There's no need to memorize which quest you've taken or completed. There is a handy quest log book that will keep track of your quest progress. The quest log book, however, is not detail enough. So you might have to jot down a bit.

The game promises 20 hours+ of game play, which is true. It's a purchase that you won't regret, especially for a $2.99 price tag.

[AppShopper Link]
[iTunes Store Link]

New Twitter User

Check out my new twitter here.

Games that you should avoid

Games that you should avoid:

# Racing
- Moto Chaser [$0.99]
-> Don't be fooled by its' cheap price tag. The game play is horrible. Not like a racing game at all. Can you imagine hitting an obstacle with no damage or feeling of hitting it at all?

- Asphalt 4 [$5.99]
-> All it's about is drifting, which is unrealistic.

# Puzzle
- 3D Sokoban [$0.99]
-> Buy this if they featured both top view and 3D view under one screen. It's very annoying of having to double tap just to get the overhead view.

# Music
- Guitar Rock Tour [$5.99]
-> Until Gameloft comes out with an update that fixes the lag, hold this game off. You can't get any full combo with any songs, even if you could. Your tap sometimes, or should I say often went recognized by the game.

# Leisure
- Line Rider iRide [$2.99]
-> I prefer PC version. Creating tracks under such small screen is annoying.

# Sports
- Touch Grind [$4.99]
-> Buy this if you really have enough time to spent playing it.

# Puzzle
- Jigsawed Puzzle [$0.99]
-> It's impossible or very hard to solve a huge size puzzle. Everything is being fit under one screen.

- Hangman2 [$0.99]
-> Even the free version, Hangman seems much nicer than this one.

- Cube Runner 2 [$2.99]
-> Game play seems a bit lag than the first version, Cube Runner (Free)

My Recommendation Games for 2008

That's a really interesting topic. Guess I'll spent some time here. If price is not a concern for you, well, check out the following list which I think is great and useful. For me, that is.

# Puzzle
- Labyrinth [$6.99]
-> Great to experience the power of accelerometer and the stability of your hand. I clear 1 level per day. With the option to download other user custom level pack, it will keep you entertained for loooong.

- Smart Sokoban [$0.99]
-> By far the simplest and best sokoban game.

- Know How [$0.99]
-> Yet another puzzle game which require you to push the treasure box to a point. Nice 3D graphic and smooth game play.

- Loops of Zen [$1.99]
-> A very interesting puzzle game where you complete each level by closing the loops. Japanese are really good at developing such game.

- Frenzie [$1.99]

- Mines in Space [$1.99]
-> Simply the best minesweeper game you can find! You can play it for years and yet fully unlock the achievements.

- Hydrotilt [$2.99]

- TikiTowers [$0.99]
-> Build your bridges so that the monkeys can safety reach the finish point.

# Racing
- Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D [$5.99]
-> There's been issue about it lagging in some scene, but it's still playable

- Fastlane Street Racing [$3.99]
-> A nice racing game where you can actually feel the speed sensation. It's pretty hard at first play. No radar that shows the layout of the track really make it a realistic racing game.

- Snail Mail [$1.99]
-> Smooth game play and nice graphic. You can't miss this one out.

# Board Games
- Xiangqi [$0.99]
-> Features a beautiful water art. It's a chinese chess game. For me it's just perfect.

- Monopoly: Here and Now World Edition [$7.99]
-> Buy this if you love to play Monopoly but don't have anyone to play with.

- Scrabble [$4.99]
-> The name says it all.

- UNO [$5.99]

# Brain Training
- Brain Toot [$0.99]
-> Simple and addictive brain training game

# Leisure/Relaxing
- Scoops [$1.99]
-> A pretty cute game.

- Sneezies [$0.99]
-> If you like cute stuff you definitely need to get this. The sneezing sound is what appealing to me.

- Buggled [$0.99]

- Giant Jigsaw [$0.99]
-> A 3D featured jigsaw game. Truly one of a kind. Be aware of your battery bar. It drains out pretty fast with this game. It should be understandable considering the 3D engine it uses.

- SPiN [$4.99]
-> Silhouette matching game. Think you can think in multiple angle?

# Tower Defense
- FieldRunners [$4.99]
-> I won't say much about this. My 2nd TD game.

- 7 Cities TD [$4.99]
-> Full featured TD game.

- The Creeps [$1.99]
-> With its fast animation and nice looking sprite, this game is a steal at $1.99.

# Sports
- Midnight Pool [$4.99]
-> The aiming feature is great for beginners. You can also unlock more characters. Vivid and colorful environment.

# Memory
- Matches Plus [$1.99]
-> Simple and elegant matches game.

# Action/Adventure
- Chopper [$0.99]

- Amateur Surgeon [$4.99]
-> Don't expect nudity here.

- Bike or Die 2 [$6.99]

- Dr. Awesome [$0.99]
-> It uses your contact as your in-game patient. Really thoughtful.

- Space Ninja [$3.99]
-> A nicely twisted game whereby you dodge enemies bullets instead of shooting them.

# Vision
- Mad Shells [$1.99]
-> Think you have a fast eye? They even have online leaderboard where you can compete your score with anyone. So far I can only reached LV29.

# Role-Playing Game
- Arvale: Journey of Illusion [$2.99]

# Platform Games
- KamiCrazy [$1.99]
-> Guide your troops from point A to point B.

Whew. Finish at last.