Slide To Play Top Stories

Tuesday Twitter Giveaway: Monster Wars, Elf Defense, and More

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:53:12 -0800

Happy Tuesday! Every week, we gather up extra promo codes to give away to our readers. Entering our giveaway is a cinch-- just follow us on Twitter, and tweet a response to this week's question.

Win Monster Wars, and you can help storm the gates.

This week, we're giving away codes for Monster Wars, NecroRun, Elf Defense, Pizza Run, Mystery of the Japanese Werewolf, and Friendzy.

To win, first make sure you're following us on Twitter. Then, tweet a response to this question:

In the spirit of Star Wars Brisksaber (a combination of Star Wars, Brisk iced tea, and Fruit Ninja), invent an advertising game by randomly combining one movie, one item, and one type of iOS game.

Make sure you include @slidetoplay and the URL http://bit.ly/z2r809 in your response. Limit your responses to one per person. You must be following us on Twitter to win.

We'll pick 29 winners at random this week. A sample tweet looks like this:

My advergame is a Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Taco Bell murder mystery. Solve crimes and eat Swedish chalupas. @slidetoplay http://bit.ly/z2r809

Remember, you have to provide your own response-- don't just copy the sample. Good luck!

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land Review

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:49:24 -0800

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land is a turn-based strategy role-playing game based on the 1926 short story "Call of Cthulhu" by writer H.P. Lovecraft, as well as the table-top RPG which also bears the name. It takes place during the first World War, and pits your team of soldiers and investigators against the forces of the ancient titular enemy. Your team's task? To maintain sanity and save humankind.

As far as graphics are concerned, the game looks great-- as great as gritty World War-era settings are likely to look on the iPhone, at any rate. Overall, the game seems to have a good idea of where it wants to be, featuring a popular mythos and the graphics to deliver it.

Shot through the heart, and you're to blame.

Unfortunately, when it comes to gameplay, that’s where some people may find The Wasted Land comes up a bit short. With the release of version 1.2, we can at least say the game is now playable, a claim we were unable to make previously, as attempting to control anything beyond the camera was random at best, and flat out unresponsive at worst.

In the 1.2 update, some camera control tweaks have been added that allow for players to pinch to zoom, and touch and hold instead of double-tapping. Unfortunately, both seem kind of iffy in execution, though not nearly as bad as before.

Toy soldiers running amok.

The in-game logic feels bizarre as well. For instance, having your soldiers fire shots at the enemy from point-blank range results in a lot of misses. Now, we were not in the first World War and are hardly qualified to speak on the quality of the weapons used therein, but this seems a bit strange to us.

It also seems that the further away you are, the more likely it is that your bullets will make contact. In one instance, a soldier across the field managed to score a hit, but was taken down in one shot in an automated counterattack. Yet trying to attack nearer enemies was much more difficult. Yet they can still attack you with ease. Often one enemy soldier situated in a trench effectively acted as a sniper, taking down our approaching men with a pistol as we tried to engage the nearest combatant, who we only seemed able to engage by getting up in his face.

Perhaps there is some sort of internal logic here we have yet to be able to figure out. Hindering the process is an overcomplicated menu of options. All the same, we’re marking this one with a “caution,” less for the quality of the game, but more due to the fact that it may call for a certain type of gamer to get the most out of it. Try it if you want, but know that it might drive you insane.

Baseball Superstars 2012 Review

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:50:55 -0800

For several years now, Baseball Superstars has stood as the standard in not only baseball games, but for all sports games on the iOS platform. Gamevil never seems to let its foot off the gas pedal, and each new version brings new layers of depth and function to steal hours of our time again and again. Academics and smart folks say that a look at the past is the biggest predictor of the future, and in the case of Baseball Superstars 2012, we couldn’t agree more.

For sports fans not familiar with the Baseball Superstars franchise, the games have baseball simulation gameplay, with a cutesy aesthetic similar to Hot Shots Golf, and the absurdity and depth you would typically see in a japanese role-playing game. Like it’s predecessors, Baseball Superstars 2012 is a cinch to pick up and extremely difficult to put down. Designed solely for touchscreen and motion inputs, this game never feels like its being shoehorned in a place it doesn’t belong. The only concession that the game makes for the sake of function is that the fielding is automatic. We can't complain about that, though, because it makes sense with the fast-paced action and the lack of a real joystick.

Batter up.

The batting and hitting mechanics are as smooth as ever, but this year they've added ways to bat and pitch with finer control. This means it goes past simply timing your swing or tapping where you want your pitches to go. “Tilt-target hitting” is the marketing label for the batting, and it’s awesome. Besides timing your swing with a tap, you can move your batter in the box by tilting your iPhone or iPad. The mechanic is very intuitive and adds a good deal of depth. Pitching has also seen some love with the “Touch Motion Pitching” system. Whether it’s swiping right for a Circle Change or applying a quick double tap to throw a fastball, it just works. The length and accuracy of your swipe affects the pitch quality, and we noticed the umpires can be a little hot and cold on the strike zone, as they should be.

Modes have never been lacking in the Baseball Superstars series. and this year ushers in several new additions, starting with network play. We’ve commented on the lack of true competitive multiplayer in a number of reviews for the franchise, and we’re happy they finally listened. Over several Wi-Fi games, we found the action to be flawless, with zero lag and the games typically running about 20 minutes for a 9 inning game. Proper stat tracking with Game Center achievements and Facebook integration shows Gamevil took the time to do things the right way.

One issue we have is that there isn’t any cloud saving on your progress. So while Baseball Superstars 2012 is a universal application, you can’t continually progress between multiple iOS devices. Even if multiplayer is not your chew of tobacco, the single player modes are as dizzying as you’d expect. Exhibition mode and Super Players are still as ridiculous as ever. HomeRun Derby, pitching duels, and My Player scenarios that follow you as a batter or pitcher over the course of 10 virtual years all make an appearance. Each mode and game earns you points, usable to upgrade your players or unlock content.

Aye aye, coach.

Speaking of points, they take time to accumulate. Since the game is free to play, you’ll likely want to invest in points to jumpstart your progress, or play the game compulsively and frequently to keep up with the joneses. Based on how refined and tuned the free core game is, we can envision Gamevil doing very well with die hard players investing in their progress.

With bright and bold graphics, Baseball Superstars 2012 looks terrific on a Retina screen. We thought the other games shined visually, but this version is simply next-level in comparison. Everything looks high-res, fluid, and bursting with cute charm.

Excuse us if this seems like deja vu, us salivating and praising another Baseball Superstars game. If you want quick hitting action, look no further. If you want a deep and enjoyable baseball game with some simulation sensibilities, you've got it. And if you're especially interested in a smooth social and multiplayer experience, this game has you covered. There is literally something here for everyone in Baseball Superstars 2012.

League of Evil 2 Trailer Released

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:45:21 -0800

To this day, the original League of Evil is one of our favorite side-scrolling action titles on iOS. So we were understandably excited to see that developer Ravenous Games has released a trailer for the sequel, which will hit the App Store on February 15. Watch the video below.

According to the trailer, League of Evil 2 will have over 100 levels and 17 enemy types, with Retina display graphics and universal compatibility. I don't know about you, but we're looking forward to playing this one next week. Keep an eye out for our review after it launches.

Slide To Play Gear On Sale For A Limited Time

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:56:05 -0800

Have you checked out the "Gear" tab at the top of the page? It's your gateway to awesome Slide To Play shirts featuring very cool original designs. Best of all, if you buy now, you'll be able to get any of our shirts at a 25% discount. Click here to browse all four t-shirt designs (available in all sizes) that can be yours for only $15.

Tank Hero Review

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:48:55 -0800

When browsing the App Store, we'll often come across games (good or bad) that borrow their concepts from somewhere else. It's harder to find games that do this and still manage to refine and evolve the concept into something more than a mere knock-off or rehash. Tank Hero is such a game, and part of what makes it stand out is its source material. And contrary to what images the title may conjure in your head, it has nothing to do with Guitar Hero.

Most games on the App Store that "borrow" concepts from other titles seem to do so from other App Store releases, or even fairly contemporary PC games-- usually games that are just a few years old. But in the case of Tank Hero, the developers have gone back a whopping 35 years to reinvent a game that was released before a lot of us were even born.

Wooden block party.

Tank Hero is like a modern-day rebirth of the Tank game from Combat for the Atari 2600. But rather than fluff it up with modern amenities such as stories, characters, cutscenes, and the like, Tank Hero is incredibly simple.

The graphics are not as simple as the single-colored pixel outlines seen in Atari's version, but instead they're simple 3D models with shading and some lighting effects. And thankfully, there is actual music accompanying the gameplay, rather than Combat's grating and constant tank tread-like sound effects.

Unlike the original, however, this game is not made for two players. As a result, the developers have managed to balance that factor out in a number of ways, including three game modes and 120 levels spread across two worlds, leaving plenty for one player to do.

Your job is to take control of a single green tank, and eliminate all other tanks found on relatively nondescript wood and brick battlefields. These battlefields consist of little more than barriers to navigate around in order to get a clear shot. The standard ammunition you're equipped with borrows from Combat's ability to bank your shots off the wall in order to hit an opponent, and doing so is quite fun. There are other types of munitions available as well, six in total, which include spreading shots, homing shots, and even some which can fire over the arena's walls to score a hit.

Steel battalion.

There are also six types of opponents to face, each in different-colored tanks of their own. From the start, a new tank pops up about every five levels or so, making things a little more complicated. The initial blue tanks aren't very strong or smart, and don't do much unless you get into their line of sight, while the yellow tanks are a little less afraid of hunting you down. Then things get tricky with the red tanks, which not only require a full bombardment to kill, but will also fire over all of the field's boundaries to kill you, leaving you no time to dawdle.

Like other iPhone games, you simply need to complete each level to proceed, but you can also earn bronze, silver, and gold medals for a particularly well-executed round. Factors in the campaign mode include your level score, accuracy rating, how much health you have, and your kill rating, which-- incidentally-- seems like an all-or-nothing score. In Time Trial, time is the key priority, which means you can take hits without penalty, so long as you don't die and get the best time. The third mode, Survival, pits you against wave after wave of enemies, and gets brutal quickly.

Bomberman's home was devastated by the war.

Tank Hero offers three different methods of control. The first lets you move your tank with a virtual D-pad, and tap on the screen to direct your shots, plus you can choose whether the D-pad is on the left or right side of the screen. The second is "Swipe and Tap," which has you swipe the screen along the path you want your tank to take, and tapping where you want to fire. You can also just hold your finger ahead of where you want the tank to go for continuous movement. And finally, in the closest approximation to the arcade original Tank game, there is a dual-stick option. Here, the left pad moves your tank, while the right controls where you aim, and tapping the center of the right pad fires your cannon.

The controls work well, at first. As the intensity increases and movements must be made quickly and precisely, you'll soon find yourself covering parts of the screen that you need to see for whatever reason-- enemies, shells, or even your own tank. And this is a problem across all three control types; Swipe and Tap mode will have your finger all over the place, while the D-pads are located at the bottom left and/or right of the screen, where you or enemies can be. And since there is no recovery time, you can lose all three of your hearts and wind up dead before you know it, especially in Survival Mode, where you start each wave in a different place, and tanks are everywhere.

Really, this is the most frustrating part of Tank Hero. It's possible to get around, but after a certain point, it sometimes feels like luck plays a bigger role than skill. If you can get past that, then you'll find it's a good game. Otherwise, it feels like Tank Hero belongs on a platform where you're not going to be obscuring your vision just by playing it.

CNN Tackles Apple and Foxconn

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:24:00 -0800

Here's a video by CNN that adds a personal story to the controversy on Apple and Foxconn. While a lot of the information is old, CNN makes the situation easier to identify with by interviewing a female Foxconn employee. The interview subject revealed that it's forbidden for Foxconn employees to grant interviews; at best they'll lose their job and at worst they'll face criminal charges. The anonymous employee also says that Foxconn employees are treated like "animals". Watch the entire video below.

By now you've probably read several stories on Apple and Foxconn. Now that you have more information on how iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches are made, do you feel differently about the products? Is it enough for you to nudge Apple to use factories with better working conditions? Do you feel guilt, but not enough to prevent you from buying an iPad 3 or iPhone 5? Or do you not care at all?

Free Today: Grisly Manor, Geared 2, and More

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:53:15 -0800

Due to the insanely competitive App Store marketplace, developers have to try to stand out. One of the best ways is to mark their premium games down to free, for a limited time. Act quickly, and you can score several awesome, full iOS games for free today.

The Secret of Grisly Manor

if you enjoy unsettling first-person adventures like Myst or The 7th Guest, download The Secret of Grisly Manor for free today. In Grisly Manor, you head to your grandpa's sprawling estate to find out whether or not he's dead, only to find a series of strange puzzles. The puzzles are nicely varied, and even if the game isn't very long, it's still a lot of fun.

Our Score: 3 out of 4

Our Bottom Line: The Secret of Grisly Manor delivers a spooky and entertaining experience right in time for Halloween.

Read Our Review

Download for free today!

Geared 2!

This head-scratcher of a puzzle game challenges you to rotate a central gear-- complete with a little hamster in it-- by connecting it to other gears. Special gears will only turn a certain direction, while others are spectral ghost gears that only appear in the sunlight. Plus, Geared 2! contains a full level editor so you can make your own puzzles. Be sure to download this clever puzzler while it's free.

Our Score: 3 out of 4

Our Bottom Line: The sequel to Geared doesn’t change the original formula at all, and that’s just how we like it.

Read Our Review

Download for free today!

Trouble in Tin Town

If you ever thought Toy Story would be a good theme for a turn-based strategy game, you should give Trouble in Tin Town a try. This exceedingly clever game combines quirky characters like Abe Lincoln and HP Lovecraft with tough tactical warfare. We think it's one of the App Store's better TBS games, so download it if you've got a talent for miniaturized war.

Our Score: 3 out of 4

Our Bottom Line: Trouble in Tin Town is a fine single-player, turn-based strategy game.

Read Our Review

Download for free today!

Chromanoids

Chromanoids from Hothead Games is a space shooter, with a colorful twist. You have to only shoot at bad guys using the correct color, like red bullets for red enemies. While it's a free download for now, you might still have to pay a little extra for more credits to keep playing, but this is a fun arcade shooter with an added layer of depth.

Our Score: 3 out of 4

Our Bottom Line: Chromanoids is a fresh coat of paint for the space shooter genre.

Read Our Review

Download for free today!

In Time - The Game

We're not saying that this movie-based game starring Justin Timberlake is good, we're just pointing out that it's currently free. In this auto-running game, you'll have a series of repetitive tasks, like saving civilians and avoiding bad guys. Movie-based games are rarely free, so if you were curious about this iOS tie-in, now's your chance to check it out.

Our Score: 1 out of 4

Our Bottom Line: Another lame game thrown out just in time for the movie… with the usual results.

Read Our Review

Download for free today!

There are a lot more great iOS games available for free every day. Try our free app GameFinder by Slide To Play and check the lists section for the best deals and downloads.

Your Favorite Super Bowl XLVI Tech Commercials

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:24:02 -0800

Advertising was generally tame for Super Bowl XLVI. A lot of people felt that the commercials were played out or tired. There weren't any Apple advertisements making viewers cry (deaf people signing on FaceTime always tugs on heartstrings). That said, there were a handful of tech-based ads that stood out. Check out the videos below and leave a comment with your favorite Super Bowl XLVI tech commercials.

Samsung made a big deal about its first Super Bowl commercial and rightfully so. Promoting the Galaxy Note "phablet", this commercial features Justin Hawkins from The Darkness. The company claims that some of the footage was shot with the Galaxy Note. Very cool!

Best Buy's ad was pretty awesome for tech geeks, featuring some of the most influential names in mobile computing. The creators of the camera phone, text-to-voice, text messaging, Shazam, Words with Friends, and more are in the spot. It's fantastic when tech engineers and software developers are lauded in a mainstream ad.

Last year, Motorola and Verizon teamed up for a very cool and very aggressive Super Bowl commercial for the Motorola Xoom tablet. Unfortunately for both companies, the advertisement was better than the actual product. This year the pair toned it down with a flashy spot for the Motorola RAZR. It's a simple spot that doesn't make the bold claims the Xoom ad did. The RAZR now comes in colors and is $199; simple and effective.

Any Super Bowl XLVI tech commercials stand out for you? Please name them in the comments section!

Update: GameFinder 1.2 Released!

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:01:19 -0800

We've added a few more features to make browsing for iOS games on our free GameFinder app even easier. The version 1.2.1 update includes better web browsing, enhanced push notifications, and refreshed reviews when you resume using the app. Download it here and take STP with you on the go.

Slide To Play Q and A: Forgotten Memories

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:40:20 -0800

Survival horror games aren't as common on the iPhone as chirpy, colorful physics puzzlers, but some players prefer the scarier side of the App Store. Later this year, Psychoz Interactive will finally release Forgotten Memories, a Silent Hill-like horror game that's been in development for years. We spoke to Psychoz director Georges Paz about what's in store for this freaky-looking iOS game.

How long has Forgotten Memories been in development?

Georges: Forgotten Memories has been in development (well, the idea behind it) since I was in college. The game is probably older than my own company (founded in 2009). But the real production was started in mid-2010.

How has Forgotten Memories changed over its development process?

Georges: Well, back in school, I was working on my own 3D engine (which, by the way, was really buggy). I then met the guy who is now our lead artist and co-founder of Psychoz Interactive. We were trying various stuff with my own engine, then decided to drop it off and get free engines and 3D libraries with the idea of focusing on gameplay only. You know, no need to worry about the core stuff, like audio, rendering, physics, etc.

We then tried lots of stuff (I wont even bother to mention, but it was a lot of stuff) while at the same time reshaping cores ideas behind it (the storyline, characters).

Our first main character was a man who lost his memory in a car accident (that's why we call it Forgotten Memories). He was found in a hospital with no memory and twisted visions. As you probably know, that plot its overused, the amnesia [plotline] is a very well-known one, we had to find something else.

Back at that time I was working in the Aerospatiale market, doing some research on airplane-related stuff, just before I got a call from Gameloft. Gameloft was a really great experience (and still have friends there) but I really wanted to put out this project. So I left Gameloft to found Psychoz Interactive with my dear friend Francois Codourey.

The game idea changed over and over (while keeping the psychological idea of memories). We end up with what it is today, an inspector looking for a missing girl in an abandoned hospital.

Forgotten Memories seems similar to classic survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. What aspects of these games do you think are important for a good, scary game?

Georges: While we were truly inspired by those survival horror classics, we put out a very good formula that horror audiences will love, and at the same time makes Forgotten Memories very original.

For example, Resident Evil's static cameras are very dramatic and tense. Most of the time they don't show what's coming to you, which works really well. Silent Hill's disturbing scenes and claustrophobic dark indoors are key elements for constant stress and tension (the #1 source of fear).

I also found that today's games respect the player too much. That's fine for action or adventure games, but survival horror games don't work that way. There are a lot of ways to entertain your audience, but very few ways to scare the player (create fear). In order to do that there are some rules that you must follow. Old-school survival horror fans know those rules, but modern players don't know and it's something we are taking care of. We want to make this game accessible to modern players too, while at the same time keeping old-school fans very happy.

Our goal is to get the best horror/scary elements out of those classics and put out a unique horror experience. Something that people will fear to play. By the way, I can name few games that I'm really scared to play, especially at night in a dark room.

Who is the main character of the game?

Georges: The player takes on the role of Rose Hawkins, a very clever inspector searching for a missing girl and an atrocious murderer. She is very stubborn, never abandons a lead and prefers to break a few rules than to lose to a criminal. Her obsession with work blinds her to perilous situations and can sometimes put lives of others in danger. To get through this horrific hospital, she will have to face her own weaknesses and fears...

There are also other interesting characters in this game that you’ll be able to interact with while playing (real-time) but yeah, I'll leave those details for the future.

Will the game be focused on combat, puzzles, exploration, or a combination of all three?

It is safe to say that the gameplay is a combination of all those elements.

The way you fight enemies and bosses, twisted puzzles and riddles, and scenery interaction are very interesting and unique. But the best thing is all that stuff working seamless on a touchscreen device!

For example, in exploration mode (which is the most common mode), you can freely look anywhere, you’ll see your character's head looking at that point, no matter which camera angle you are using. In combat mode, you have unique weapons and melees in which you use the screen to create combos to hit and shoot your enemy, all in a very easy and intuitive way.

There’s a huge variety of enemies, and the way you must kill them are also unique. Boss fights are also very interesting and dynamic. We are also getting rid of our buttons and replacing them with natural touch gestures which are really nice and fun.

Another cool thing about the exploration is the heavy use of "negative spaces" (used a lot in classic survival horror games), in which the player can get even more information when searching in deep. You have huge outside areas, an entire hospital with floors fully loaded with rooms to explore and a huge big sewer area. But the best of all is that we carefully designed everything to make it non-linear. You can come back later on and get access to new rooms here and there, or go to the very end. You have the freedom of exploration.

Our third key gameplay element is the very nice and elaborate puzzles and riddles. You’ll feel some of them are familiar if you are an old-school point and click/survival horror fan, which are quite fun to interact with on a touchscreen device.

Those are just minor details about the gameplay, there's a lot of stuff I can say regarding Forgotten Memories gameplay, but I'll keep that for a future article.

The last game from Psychoz Interactive was Dead Strike, an ambitious but (in our opinion) flawed survival horror game. What lessons have you taken from Dead Strike that you are applying towards Forgotten Memories?

Georges: Well, to be honest Dead Strike cannot be considered a survival horror game, it is safe to call Dead Strike a simple zombie shooter.

But the biggest lesson we learned was polishing. A product to be successful must be good and polished. Dead Strike lacked in those areas.

Second thing was patience and time, we’ve learned the lesson the hard way, having poor sales (not to count the tiny amount of time we spend marketing the game).

Now with Forgotten Memories, we are really working hard and taking our time to make everything's good. Even if we don’t put out a super hit, we want to be sure that everyone who plays our game says it's a very very good game. Our goal is to please our audience with a very high quality survival horror game, we are working hard on it!

We’ve recently been backed up by a huge company which is now investing in the mobile sector. The agreement we’ve passed out is an investment agreement, not a publishing agreement, which means we publish the game, keep all our planned features, release dates, and rights of the game. They really loved our hard efforts and devotions on Forgotten Memories but mostly the huge potential behind it.

That’s why they invested in us. Their funds helped us enlarge our team, to speed things up and keep everything under control. They’ve provided us with a great sum of cash to finish this baby the way people are expecting and there’s nothing but good things coming in the future.

Is this a game you hope will genuinely scare people? How are you trying to make the game feel suspenseful?

Georges: We truly believe, yes. The most important thing we are focusing on is the feeling of losing control. Not the way you control your character, mind you, but losing control of what's going on and what's coming next.

We want to create confusion, make him feel hopeless, alone, where every single corner can be dangerous, keep him guessing to the very end but also put at work their own inner fears and surprise him in very different ways (gameplay-wise and storyline-wise).

Speaking of gameplay, our enemies are very original and the way you must interact with them, too. All those elements will keep players under constant pressure, stress and tension, which combined with good disturbing elements can create true psychological fears and scare them all. Other than scary and horrifying elements, we want to play with players' emotions, you probably know what I mean.

Do you have an expected release date?

Georges: While we don't have an exact release date, and to be honest I don't want to promise anything yet, we hope to get in gold this summer (2012) and release the game soon after.

But like I said earlier, we want to make sure this game is really ultra-polished, if we need 1-2 extra months, we will do it. There’s no reason to rush anything or change any plans.

Update: Scribblenauts Remix Review

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:36:07 -0800

Since we last updated our review, Scribblenauts Remix has had multiple content updates, offering a new sandbox skin for Valentine's Day and a DLC pack. Should you spend a dollar on this new content, and does it bump this DS classic into Must Have range?

The DLC pack costs $.99 for 20 levels, all of which are taken from the two DS games, plus a new sandbox. The 20 levels chosen are mostly unimaginative. For example, one puts you on the pitching mound across from a baseball player and umpire with the direction of "play ball." Another requires you to rescue a cat from the top of a house.

Other levels boil down to "give this person an object they would like" or "use random objects to press buttons". One special level of note is a homage to Duck Hunt, where you can equip a weapon to kill the ducks, but it's still far too easy.

The best part of the DLC pack is the new sandbox stage. Unlike the Christmas and Valentine's Day skins, this stage features a completely new set-up made to look like a medieval castle. As part of the theme, a couple of characters and objects are preset into the level, but you can remove them if you choose. We hope the developers create more of these sandboxes in the future instead of useless skins.

Unless you absolutely must have more Scribblenauts, there are better ways to spend a dollar on the App Store. We know that 5th Cell has better content up their sleeves, so their selection left us a bit puzzled. We'd also prefer original levels if they're charging for DLC packs. For now, Scribblenauts Remix still falls short of our top marks.

Reckless Racing 2 Review

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:45:18 -0800

There's not much reckless about this racing sequel. Polarbit's recent Reckless Getaway spin-off had plenty of cop chases and crazy stunts, and the original Reckless Racing played with good ol' Southern stereotypes. But there's nothing haphazard about the way Polarbit improved on every aspect of the original game for Reckless Racing 2.

Reckless Racing 2, like its predecessors, uses a top-down perspective that makes this racer feel more like an arcade game than a simulation. Unless you've memorized each track, you're going to have trouble anticipating every turn due to the limited visibility, but the game provides a number of helpful assists. You can turn on a racing line to teach you when to brake, and a minimap overlay will tell you what's coming without obscuring your view.

Hey, not so reckless!

And you won't want to miss the view. Reckless Racing 2 features incredible vistas, with dirt tracks that kick up dust and asphalt tracks that leave your tire's rubber on the road. You'll occasionally swerve past a dizzying cliffside or overpass that gives you a view far, far below. Everything feels very tiny, but detailed, like a wonderfully precise model playset.

Our main complaint about the first Reckless Racing was the lack of content. There were too few tracks and events for us to recommend the game without question. Reckless Racing 2, on the other hand, provides lots of things to do, and you'll be able to unlock and upgrade cars to add even more variety. In addition to the campaign mode, which is a series of multi-track cup races, you'll be able to participate in 40 challenge levels, which give you a pre-selected ride.

Hang a right at the obelisk.

Tuning your car is the racing equivalent of customizing your character, and Reckless Racing 2 contains a satisfying system. Like in Gameloft's Asphalt series, pretty much any upgrade you buy is going to improve your performance. But unlike most racing games we've played, there's an upper and lower limit to each race. You won't be able to compete in the advanced races with a beat-up jalopy, and you won't be able to take your supercharged machine into the beginner races. Even with all this potential for customization, the game never feels unbalanced, due to an intelligent dynamic difficulty system.

Reckless Racing 2 ranks up there with some of the best recent iOS racing games, like Mini Motor Racing and the unconventional DrawRace 2. Polarbit has done an excellent job improving nearly all of the mechanics of the original game, one by one. We're confident this series is on the right track, and we can't wait to see how crazy they get in the next game.

PocketNext Interviews Canabalt Creator Adam Saltsman

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:55:51 -0800

Over at PocketNext, a brand-new website dedicated to mobile games and reviews, they're touting a detailed interview with Adam Saltsman, the creator of Canabalt. Canabalt effectively created the popular auto-running genre on iOS, and we were curious about what Adam's been up to since its launch in 2009.

The two-part interview can be read here and here. In it, Saltsman talks about his life after Canabalt, the merits of marking a game down to free for a limited time, and the value of in-game achievements.

And if you haven't yet, be sure to bookmark PocketNext for more interesting mobile articles and reviews. The site's Editor in Chief, Grant Holzhauer, is an accomplished Slide To Play and Padvance alumnus.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Review

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:35:33 -0800

Shu Takumi is a brilliant man. You may know him as the mind behind Ace Attorney, the series of quirky lawyer games where you must prove a client innocent against improbable odds. His most recent work, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, was released for the Nintendo DS in 2010. This gem won Handheld Game of the Year awards from many major websites, and now Ghost Trick has found its way onto the App Store, where it’s better than ever.

Ghost Trick’s story is tough to sum up without giving away any major twists, but the premise is that you play as Sissel, a ghost who has the special gift of using Ghost Tricks. These allow him to posses objects (but not corpses), talk to other dead souls, travel through phone lines, and go back to four minutes before the death of another soul. However, Sissel can’t remember anything about himself, so he tries to figure out who he was, who killed him, and why he was killed. He only has until daybreak before he ceases to exist, so he must move fast.

One persistent poltergeist.

The story’s excellent writing keeps you guessing up until the last minute. Whenever you think an answer has been made clear, new information comes to light that changes everything. At no time does the story drag its feet, and it’ll keep you gripped throughout its 18-chapter story arc. The game, on average, takes around 15+ hours to complete. You’ll want to play until the credits roll, as the ending is something to behold.

Along the way, you’ll meet a large cast of eccentric and unforgettable characters that will stick with you long after you’ve completed the game. Among these is the smooth-walking (and dancing) Inspector Cabanela and Missile the Pomeranian. Part of what makes these characters and the world they live in shine are the detailed graphics, incredibly smooth animation, and a fitting soundtrack. The other part of the equation is in the dialogue, and how characters interact with one another.

Backing up all of this is original and wholly unique gameplay that just works. Using Sissel’s “ghost” ability, you can enter a ghost realm where he can jump between objects in the environment. In the physical realm, he can perform a “trick” on many of these objects. Using these mechanics, Sissel can make his way around the environment to solve puzzles and get people to act a certain way. For example, in the first level you must activate a fan and blender on either side of a flag, and then jump to its core in order to move the flag up the pole, allowing you to access another part of the level.

Starring Missile the Pomeranian.

Later in the game, you gain access to a second ghost who has a longer reach between objects and has the ability to swap two items of the same shape. Using this ghost’s ability in conjunction with Sissel’s object manipulation makes for some extremely clever puzzles. You’ll rarely have to perform the same solution in different puzzles.

Most chapters involve one or more deaths for you to view four minutes back in time and prevent. These start off by showing you a playback of the four minutes, and then give you the reins to manipulate the environment to change the outcome. Changing the event creates a checkpoint, so you don’t have to restart the entire four minutes if you make a mistake.

Controlling Sissel is simple. You can drag him between interactive objects, and move between realms or perform tricks with buttons on the bottom corners of the screen. The controls feel more natural than they did with the stylus on the DS, making this the superior version. If you own an iPad, we recommend playing it on the bigger screen as long as you can deal with minor letterboxing.

Ghost Trick on iOS uses a free-to-play model that gives you the first two chapters of the game for free, with two ways to pay for the rest. The first option gives you the whole game for $10, while the second breaks the game up into three $5 packs, coming out to $15. We don’t recommend the latter option for obvious reasons: It’s more expensive, and you'll want to play through the entire game.

Ghost Trick isn’t just a great game-- it’s nearly perfect. In fact, Ghost Trick is so exceptional that you may see it again in our year-end "Best of" lists. With two free chapters, you have to give Ghost Trick a chance, and you won’t be sorry that you did.

Gun Strike Review

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:55:06 -0800

Gun Strike is a fairly basic targeting game with sharp, cartoonish 3D graphics and the usual three-star per level structure. The game hearkens back to the days of arcade-style gun games, and as far as pure shooting galleries go, it’s not terrible. Unfortunately, while there plenty of levels for a $.99 purchase, there’s just not much variety.

While a lot of iPhone target shooters tend to stick to the range, with flip-up mock targets, Gun Strike at least throws you into the fray against armed soldiers. Each level spews out waves of three or four bad guys, all of whom will start shooting with only a minor delay to aim. Some of the soldiers use guns, while others use more explosive ordinances like grenades.

You earn money for each successful kill-- and more for head shots and chains-- which can be used to buy guns, armor, health, and ammunition. While the pistol is infinitely supplied with bullets, the other guns can run dry during the level. There are 17 different weapons to collect in all, and grenades as well.

Eat my de_dust.

The action takes place across seven backdrops in the full version (the free app comes with two), totaling 70 levels. The problem is that the maps are just static scenes where enemies roll in from the sides. There’s no interaction with the levels, no destructible scenery, and no variation beyond more enemies popping up.

The other major problem is the control scheme. Instead of using something touch-screen centric, like tapping on enemies to shoot, the game uses an invisible d-pad to move the gun around. The current gun is always on screen, shown from a first-person perspective to give the illusion of looking down the sights. Unfortunately, this method of control just feels clumsy and unresponsive. This is especially true when playing on the iPad, where players just have to work harder to quickly move the crosshairs from one side of the screen to the other.

Gun Strike is clearly geared for the smaller screen, although the trade-off is how small everything else is. To compensate, the game’s hit detection is exceedingly generous. Nearly any successful hit seems to register as a head shot, although given how huge the heads of the enemies are, this isn’t surprising.

These are pretty major strikes for a shooter, but taken as a straightforward shooting gallery, Gun Strike is passable. Unfortunately, it’s not much more.

Atari Arcade Creators Reunite to Tackle iOS

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:23:26 -0800

Innovative Leisure is a startup that has reunited the creators of numerous Atari arcade classics and brought them together to tackle today's arcade: iOS. The company was started by Seamus Blackley (co-creator of the original Xbox) and Van Burnham (author of Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984). While the founders of the company have impressive resumes, the talent they've gathered is simply mind blowing. Check out some of the amazing minds behind Innovative Leisure below.

Here's an excerpt from VentureBeat's exclusive on Innovative Leisure:

The “Jedi Council” team includes Ed Rotberg, creator of the classic Atari game Battlezone; Owen Rubin, creator of Major Havoc and Space Duel; Rich Adam, creator of Gravitar and co-developer of Missile Command; Ed Logg, co-creator of Asteroids and Centipede; Dennis Koble, creator of Touch Me and Shooting Gallery; Tim Skelly, the only non-Atari veteran arcade game designer who worked for Cinematronics and created games such as Rip-Off; and Bruce Merrit, creator of Black Widow.
All told, there are 11 arcade game creators who are banding together at Innovative Leisure. They are joined by young interns in their 20s who will work with the veterans to help design new apps. Altogether, Innovative Leisure has 30 employees -- a big team for a fledgling startup. To finance the overhead, Blackley has invested his own money and raised funds from publisher THQ. Next week in Las Vegas, at the industry’s Dice Summit, Blackley and his team members will talk about their vision for “the new arcade.”

The gathering of talent at Innovative Leisure is remarkable. Creating games for iOS devices completely makes sense for them too. In many ways, iPhones and iPads are modern-day arcades. For decades, many hardcore console and PC games emphasized long experiences that were mostly solitary. Today, many of the best iOS games are social and great for bite-sized chunks of gaming. The Atari creators excelled in these areas. It's going to be cool watching these arcade legends create for modern devices. I can't wait!

I highly recommend reading the full article by VentureBeat's excellent Dean Takahashi. Check it out and let me know if you're excited about the godfathers of Atari arcade gaming teaming together to create new games for iOS.

[Via: VentureBeat]

Dungeon Crawlers Review

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:44:34 -0800

We love a good genre mash-up, so the prospect of Dungeon Crawlers-- replace a dungeon crawling RPG's fast-paced action with tactical strategy-- was extremely enticing to us. The biggest hurdle for such a mash-up is retaining the elements of dungeon crawling that make it so satisfying, like loot drops and randomization. Dungeon Crawlers doesn’t quite do this, but the gameplay is strong enough that it remains a good game.

Dungeon Crawlers’ story revolves around four heroes who are sent into a dungeon to clean out monsters. It’s a simple premise, but it's backed up by pop-culture references and an eccentric cast. Each character has a unique personality based off of common tropes. For example, Failston is a brew-loving dwarf, and Payter is a bumbling warrior in search of women. The dialogue between the four characters is sure to make you chuckle.

Try talking your way out of this one.

As much as we liked the game's personality, the most important part of Dungeon Crawlers is the gameplay. Each level is made up of rooms and corridors covered by fog. As you make your way through the level, the fog will clear and reveal whatever is beneath it, like enemies and treasure chests. When you run across an enemy, the game switches from free-roam mode, and your characters appear until all visible enemies are defeated. The third and final level of each of the four chapters is a boss battle. Each boss has to be killed in a unique way that requires you to figure out the solution for yourself.

Each of your characters plays a irreplaceable role in combat. Payter can take a lot of damage, Aegon deals heavy magic damage, Roy heals and buffs, and Failston can detect and disarm traps. Using each character’s special abilities strategically is crucial to overcoming the swarms of enemies. If any character dies in combat, you’re at a massive disadvantage for the rest of the level, as there’s no way to revive them. Fortunately, the game gives you the ability to restart the current encounter.

Mopping up the sludge.

Characters level up through experience and can equip one weapon and piece of armor, but the customization is little more than smoke and mirrors. Character stat improvements upon leveling are preset, and the loot is always found in predetermined locations. There is no choosing between different pieces of loot, because the latest piece you picked up for the character is always the best. Most loot is found in secret areas, so if you happen to miss one, you’re out of luck.

Randomized levels are a major part of the dungeon crawling genre, but Dungeon Crawlers is entirely pre-made. If you keep all of your characters alive, they’ll level up at predetermined times. Plus, enemies only drop useless gold, so you won’t get that amazing feeling from finding the perfect piece of loot.

Even though it misses a few opportunities, we still recommend picking up Dungeon Crawlers. It’s easy to jump into, challenging, and full of humor. Plus, there’s a boss named D. Knight Shyamalan. How great is that?

Fairway Solitaire HD Hands-On Preview

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:34:08 -0800

Big Fish Games is known mainly for their hidden object games, but their upcoming iPad version of Fairway Solitaire may shatter that expectation like a stray golf ball in the parking lot. A strangely addictive combination of cards and golf, Fairway Solitaire has all the glamor of TV sportscasting, with you as the pro.

Unlike in Tiger Woods or Flick Golf, in Fairway Solitaire your goal is not actually to whack a ball into a distant cup. Instead, you're given an arrangement of playing cards, and must rack up combos by picking numbers that are one above or below your current card.

What's fun about Fairway Solitaire is that every aspect of the game has a clever golf twist. Undoing a turn is called a "mulligan", and at the end, the amount of cards you have left tell you if you're over or under par. Color commentators will muse on your moves, and certain sets of cards will be locked as water hazards, sand traps, or rough grass.

If you pick enough cards in a row, you'll build up some huge combos that can earn you golf bucks. These can be used to buy irons that sit in your golf bag and act as a sort of wild card.

You'll also be taunted by a cartoon gopher that is plotting destruction against the golf course, like in Caddyshack. The numerous audio, visual, and gameplay details are quite impressive, and they give this card game a surprising amount of polish.

As a freemium download, you'll be able to play 9 courses (with three rounds each) for free. The rest of the game can be unlocked for $2.99, and doing so will give you dozens of new courses. A few years ago, Tycho from Penny Arcade cursed this game for being so good, and playing it on the iPad, we're having the same reaction. Fairway Solitaire will be available in the App Store later this month for both iPad and iPhone.

Hero Academy Review

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:55:25 -0800

Hero Academy is a turn-based strategy game with asynchronous gameplay, which means you can send your turn whenever you like, and your opponent does the same. A single game could take days, but most will only take about one day, because once you start playing it's hard to put it down.

You can invite players from Facebook or Twitter, or leave it up to fate to find you a random player. Currently, there are two playable teams of characters, though only one is free with the initial download. Both teams have similar types of characters, but the effects differ.

In the Council, a team of classic knights, you'll control a muscled brute who can push other characters backwards. You'll also get an archer who is strongest at ranged attacks, a mage who can attack several enemies at once, a cleric who can heal your allies, and a ninja with the power to switch places with other allies. For two bucks, you can play as the Dark Elves, who have slightly more sinister effects.

Going medieval on him.

You'll use these teams of characters to attack your opponent’s crystals. There are several available maps, each with one or two crystals. Once all of your opponent’s crystals are destroyed, victory is yours, but it’s never that simple.

Each turn consists of five actions. An action is anything that you do during your turn. For instance, if you summon your archer to the field, or attack an enemy mage, you’ve used one action. Each character has a certain range for movement or battle, so moving your characters across the field will often take up most of your actions. Some characters can move farther than others, but those characters often have fewer health points. You will need to familiarize yourself with the stats of your characters before moving, and you'll learn the best strategies through a lot of practice.

You can also attach equipment to your characters to boost their stats. There are three types of equipment, which let you boost your attacks, defense, or magic resistance. You can also attach a one-time triple boost to a character’s attack, or launch a fireball onto the field to attack several characters. These items act like a deck of cards, with some attacks appearing more often than others. The more you play, the more you’ll see which items or characters are treasures.

Lightning the load.

Because Hero Academy is asynchronous, you can take your time making your moves. The game also has a back button, which will undo your actions so that you can try a different strategy. Unfortunately, this button undoes all your turn's actions, not just the most recent, which means you may find yourself redoing several actions to correct just one. Still, the back button is essential for winning rounds. There are always several courses to take, and the time between turns allows you to figure out which one is the most effective.

If you choose to play Hero Academy without spending a dime, you’ll have to suffer through ads at the end of each turn, as well as in the main menu of the game. However, if you buy the Dark Elves team, the ads are removed. You can also purchase different colors for your team. Otherwise, you only get red and blue. Also, if you really want to stick it to your opponent after a particularly tough round, you can buy taunts to send to them.

The game’s developer, Robot Entertainment, is planning to release a new team for Hero Academy in an update, and we can't wait to try it out. Even with only two teams at the moment, there are still multiple strategies that keep the game interesting. As a modern-day, mobile take on chess, Hero Academy is endlessly challenging with great online combat.