148Apps Main |
- Writings for iPad Gets Workspaces Functionality
- Nostalgic, Centipede-esque Fun Courtesy of Hummingz EVO
- Hot Springs Story Review
- TeamLava Announces Nightclub Story
- Escape Rosecliff Island Review
- Favorite Four: Updating Multiple Social Networks
- Battle Golf 3D Review
- IK Multimedia Introduces iRig Mic for iOS
- WordsWorth HD Review
- Tab on-the-go with Progression Free
- Memory of Colors Review
- Prepare for Baseball Season with Hit the Deck Baseball
- Chopper Rescue Review
- Gameloft Converts GT Racing to Freemium
| Writings for iPad Gets Workspaces Functionality Posted: 23 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PDT The developer of Writings for iPad contacted 148Apps this week to inform us that it will soon be releasing an update for its application. Of the changes and additions in the update, there is one in particular that the company emphasized. The 1.2 update will bring workspaces to the iPad writing application. The feature will function similarly to Apple’s own OS X feature “Spaces,” in which you can create separate work spaces to work within. The idea of workspaces in Writings for iPad is nearly identical. You’ll be able to create separate workspaces for each category and then assign documents to each category. This enables you to easily organize, work on and view your documents according to category. Furthermore, you’ll be able to synchronize each workspace with separate Dropbox folders, carrying over that organization to the “cloud.” Co-developer of Writings of iPad Ludovico Rossi told 148Apps that “other new features will be introduced in the same update” as well, including an easier method of synchronizing the document you’re currently writing. For now, though, check out a video demonstration of workspaces in action below. Writings for iPad is a comprehensive text editor that allows you to easily write, edit and view your documents in a number of different ways. The app is available for $4.99 on the App Store. [ Writings for iPad Gets Workspaces Functionality is a post from 148Apps ] |
| Nostalgic, Centipede-esque Fun Courtesy of Hummingz EVO Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:30 PM PDT
There’s a context to this of course: there’s a new Centipede clone out on the app store! It looks pretty fun too. Hummingz EVO offers a few differences of course but fundamentally it looks like something that’s bound to entice fans of the 1980s arcade classic. It’s only $.99, which seems worth a go as some of the boss fights look particularly impressive. Offering simple controls and two game modes, aimed at casual and experienced players, Hummingz EVO aims to be frantic fun. As you’d expect from an arcade game, there’s global leaderboard support courtesy of OpenFeint. It looks to be the perfect game to switch your brain off and just have fun. Take a look at the pretty neat gameplay video and see if it’s your kind of thing. [ Nostalgic, Centipede-esque Fun Courtesy of Hummingz EVO is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Hummingz EVO |
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:04 PM PDT  Hot Springs Story ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating:   :: DEEPiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Hot Springs Story is the hotly anticipated follow up from Game Dev Story’s developers Kairosoft.
Developer: Kairosoft Price: $3.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars How on earth do you follow up a game like Game Dev Story? Game Dev Story was phenomenal and hugely addictive. The first time I played it, I intended to play it for 30 minutes one Saturday morning, 3 hours passed before I knew it. It wasn’t a perfect title but it was oh so compelling. So, how do you follow it? With Hot Springs Story of course. A game all about running your own spa resort. It’s not the most obvious move and admittedly it might not be as compelling for games fans as the previous setting, but it works.
Feeling more like a Sim City or Theme Park style game rather than Kairosoft’s previous title, the core structure behind Hot Springs Story is to build up your spa. You can expand the small resort you start with as you progress through the game by building the likes of bedrooms (or Tatami as the authentic language uses), bathing rooms, restaurants, salons and even arcades. There’s a bit more strategy involved than simply expansion though. A great variety of guests are interested in visiting depending on what you pitch your resort at. The likes of students, businessmen, housewives and more are all available here but it’s down to you to appeal to their individual needs. In this respect, Hot Springs Story feels much more like a conventional sim than Game Dev Story did, focusing more on general customer satisfaction than individual staff members. Indeed, Hot Springs Story gets a bit more complex but logical such as the need to consider where you place rooms such as if you place a quiet room next to a loud room (such as an arcade), no one’s happy.
Controls wise, Hot Springs Story brings with it a virtual d-pad as well as conventional touch controls which makes it easier to navigate. A landscape appearance rather than portrait view is particularly useful too. Menus still don’t feel as simple to understand as they could but it’s a minor niggle. A tutorial would have been welcome though, particularly for such new features as advertising. Hot Springs Story isn’t quite as gripping as Game Dev Story. Its subject matter being not quite as clearly enjoyable as the earlier game, plus it’s really quite a serious sim, with no sign of the humor of Game Dev Story. However, in turn it’s a deeper experience with more to it. This ensures that Hot Springs Story is still a great game to play, just not quite as wondrous as its predecessor.
[ Hot Springs Story Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Hot Springs StoryiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $3.99 Our Rating: Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games / Simulation :: DEEPRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Hot Springs Story |
| TeamLava Announces Nightclub Story Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:30 AM PDT
[ TeamLava Announces Nightclub Story is a post from 148Apps ] |
| Escape Rosecliff Island Review Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:04 AM PDT  Escape Rosecliff Island ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating:  :: ENJOYABLEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Escape Rosecliff Island is a great PC conversion of a popular hidden object game but it does suffer from the small screen space of the iPhone.
Developer: PopCap Games Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.69 out of 5 stars Having quite a penchant for the hidden object genre, I was rather excited by the prospect of playing Escape Rosecliff Island on my iPhone. I’ve already completed it on the PC so I knew what to expect and that’s exactly what I got. Escape Rosecliff Island is a near perfect port of the PC version but it does come with a few iPhone based flaws too.
On the iPhone though, it is a little awkward. Zooming in to find each item is relatively simple enough but by zooming in, the picture demonstrates its low resolution with everything looking rather pixelated and blurred. Tapping on each item once you find them is easy and accurate enough but the list of items only displays a few at a time due to limited space, so you have to scroll to see the full list. Small things like this begin to niggle, especially after extended sessions. Ultimately though, you can’t really ask for much more on the iPhone. The hidden object side of things works as you would expect and the mini games are all just as enjoyable as on the PC, comprising of Match three, word searches, jigsaws, a version of pairs and puzzle rotation. It’s not a hard game by any means but it is one that will take a fair while to complete, and some of the object clues might make you scratch your head for a while. If you’re a fan of the genre like me, you’ll love it and being able to play the game on the move. You might find yourself pining for an iPad though. [ Escape Rosecliff Island Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Escape Rosecliff IslandiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $2.99 Our Rating: Released: 2010-12-13 :: Category: Games / Family :: ENJOYABLERead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Escape Rosecliff Island |
| Favorite Four: Updating Multiple Social Networks Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PDT If you’re anything like me, you’re probably attached at the hip to your social networks. However, I know I’m not the only one who has many that I’ve abandoned simply out of frustration of having to constantly check and update different pages or apps for each one. With this in mind I’ve put together a Favorite Four that the update-aholics can appreciate. Here are a few of my favorite iPhone apps to update multiple sites at once. Tweetdeck  TweetDeck for iPhoneiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Our Rating: Released: 2009-06-17 :: Category: Social Networking :: FAMILIAR LOOKRead Our Full Review >> Sociable  Sociable - Update your Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and LinkediPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2011-01-11 :: Category: Social Networking Pingle  Pixelpipe  Pixelpipe - Post & Upload to the Social WebiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2008-09-16 :: Category: Social Networking [ Favorite Four: Updating Multiple Social Networks is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Pingle, Pixelpipe - Post & Upload to the Social Web, Sociable - Update your Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and Linked, TweetDeck for iPhone |
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:04 AM PDT  Battle Golf 3D ReviewBy Blake Grundman on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating: :: SWING AND MISSUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad What’s in a name?
Developer: Imperial Game Studio Price: $2.99 Version: 1.1.3 App Reviewed on: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.19 out of 5 stars
It should be established right out of the gate that as alluded to above, this game is not what you would expect from a title with the name “Battle Golf 3D.” Really, the only factual piece of information is that the visuals are presented in three dimensions. If you were being swayed by the other two words, most likely you will end up gravely disappointed. At its core, this is really nothing more than a rhythm based game, masquerading as a long drive competition. That’s right, all you do is try to hit the ball as far as possible by pressing the screen to start the a swing and during the backswing at the point of making contact with the ball. The only other gameplay mechanic is attempting to steer the ball in the air to assure that it doesn’t land out of bounds.
After each match players have the option to use the points that they have accrued to soup up your avatar’s equipment. This also acts to incentivize players to customize their character, further boosting their stats. Sure, you can also purchase the upgrade points using your real money too, but you are not a cheater, right?
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| IK Multimedia Introduces iRig Mic for iOS Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:30 AM PDT
  VocaLive FREEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2011-03-10 :: Category: Music  AmpliTube FREEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2010-06-16 :: Category: Music  [ IK Multimedia Introduces iRig Mic for iOS is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: AmpliTube, AmpliTube FREE, VocaLive, VocaLive FREE |
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:04 AM PDT  WordsWorth HD ReviewBy Kyle Flanigan on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating: :: VOCAB TESTiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad WordsWorth, a popular game mildly similar to Scrabble, is blown up to HD for iPad.
Developer: 99games Price: $2.99 Version: 2.7.1 Graphics / Sound Rating: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
But now there's a new game in town, by the name of WordsWorth. It takes the "honeycomb concept" and amplifies it onto the iPad. The idea is simple: create as long a word as possible from any given "honeycomb" of letters. You can go up, down, left and right in any direction at any time, but the letters must link one after the other. And that's where the creativity element comes into play. 99games, the developers behind WordsWorth HD, have implemented three game modes into their application: classic, timed and tumble. Classic is all points based, where each time you get a word your total point score goes up. Exceed a certain of number of points to succeed. Timed mode takes this a step further – you can only progress if you achieve all of the required points within a certain timeframe. Tumble is as it sounds: the letters come tumbling down, a-la Tetris.
As you play on and become more aware of the words around you and on your screen, the difficulty can be notched up. Minimum word size can be adjusted between 3 and 5 letters, the grid itself can be anywhere from 5×5 to 8×8 (proportional). An in-built adjustable timer delay ensures that the game is reasonably fast-paced, and a scramble per level can be adjusted from 3 to 0. WordsWorth is Game Center achievements and leaderboards ready, meaning you can see how you rank against the rest of the world – or against your friends. Game Center makes it easier for friends to find each other if they want a challenge, and achievements add that extra level of competitiveness and difficulty into the game. You can challenge your friends through Game Center, over Wi-Fi or over Bluetooth. There are reportedly some 50 000 players of WordsWorth already, given its popularity on iPhone. 148Apps awarded it 4.5 stars earlier this month. It's a fun way to get your brain thinking, and to test your vocabulary. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the much-hyped "bee" design – it's a little too heavy for my tastes – but games should be about gameplay first. And WordsWorth HD has that down. [ WordsWorth HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]  WordsWorth HDiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: $2.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-02-28 :: Category: Games / Word :: VOCAB TESTRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: WordsWorth HD |
| Tab on-the-go with Progression Free Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:30 AM PDT
This is a tool that a number of more popular applications, such as Guitar Pro and TabToolkit, lack the ability to do. Although the interface behind Progression Free isn't perfect, it certainly makes it easier to tab on-the-go. Files are saved in a unique .notion extension, with the ability to email a PDF version for non-iPad users, or those seeking to print the tablature. No word yet on what future updates will hold – I'm hoping the ability to export as .gp and .ptb and .txt will be in there – but it's certainly a step in the right direction, and sure beats using Notes.  Progression FreeiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2011-03-08 :: Category: Music [ Tab on-the-go with Progression Free is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Progression Free |
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:04 AM PDT  Memory of Colors ReviewBy Kyle Flanigan on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating: :: EYE OPENINGiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Memory of Colors provides 1300 stunning pictures of tribes around the world.
Developer: fotopedia Price: $2.99 Version: 1.0 Design Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.67 out of 5 stars
Countries consist of cultures, and those that are big enough to reap the benefits of globalization relegate domestic cultures to the side. Memory of Colors joins the last stand to show the world the beauty of these cultures. "A message of peace and respect for mankind's last treasures before it is too late" reads the poem by Jaime Ocampo-Rangel, a Colombian-born, Spanish-educated resident of France. In 1999, he discovered the Kogui people of Colombia – life was never the same after that. Memory of Colors reflects that. The application is "a rainbow" of 1300 photos across 40 different cultures, created in 18 countries across 5 continents in 12 years. It is the world as you've possibly never seen it before. Memory of Colors wants to take you on a journey. Within the "journey" box you'll find everything spread across two categories: people and colors. The former subcategorizes into eighteen countries, and within those countries all the relevant cultures that Jaime has taken photos of are found. For example, in China there are currently three, in Brazil there are eight. And within the Chinese 'Yao' culture are fifteen eye-opening photos for your viewing pleasure. Repeat this across 39 other cultures and you can begin to appreciate the diversity of the world we live in. The 'colours' section takes those same 1300 photos and spreads it across fourteen different colours, if you're looking for something a little more artistically specific. A slideshow is built in. The design of the application is relatively simplistic, but effective in its delivery. A single tap hides everything, making the photo full screen and centre-stage (there's a small copyright at the bottom right of each photo). Information about each culture is derived from Wikipedia, and a film-role style box provides a quick snapshot of all the photos. Options to share via Twitter, Facebook and Email exist, as well as the ability to save the photo photos as wallpapers. You can gift the application to a friend or family member if you like, too. Finally, photos can be starred and saved, so you don't have to go through a myriad of options to get to where you want to be. 1300 photos for $2.99, right on your iPad over 3G or Wi-Fi, isn't much. That works out at 0.0023c per photo. And Memory of Colors does more than just show photos – it reveals an aspect of the world that leaves little to the imagination. [ Memory of Colors Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Memory of Colors presented by FotopediaUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Buy Now: $2.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-02-22 :: Category: Travel :: EYE OPENINGRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Memory of Colors presented by Fotopedia |
| Prepare for Baseball Season with Hit the Deck Baseball Posted: 23 Mar 2011 07:30 AM PDT
 HIT THE DECK Baseball for iPhoneiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2011-03-17 :: Category: Games / Arcade  HIT THE DECK BaseballiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2011-02-22 :: Category: Games / Family [ Prepare for Baseball Season with Hit the Deck Baseball is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: HIT THE DECK Baseball, HIT THE DECK Baseball for iPhone |
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 07:04 AM PDT  Chopper Rescue ReviewBy Phillip Levin on March 23rd, 2011Our Rating: :: SHORT-LIVEDUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Rescuing the stranded from the sea is fun but lacks lasting appeal.
Developer: IRIX PTY LTD Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1 Device Reviewed On: iPhone Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.13 out of 5 stars
Chopper Rescue, as its name suggests, combines helicopters and rescue missions. Gameplay is set up from a 2D perspective. There’s a helicopter with a dangling rope, and you tilt your iOS device left to right to control it. The game is level-based, and each stage features its own specific challenges. In the earlier levels, your goal is to lower a character from the helicopter safely and successfully to platforms on a boat. Later, you’ll have to retrieve stranded civilians on boats and take them to safety. As the game progresses, these missions become more complicated and challenging. There are a solid number of levels to complete here – nearly 30 in all. Again, as you progress further into the game, things become more complicated and challenging. One thing that Chopper Rescue does quite well is simultaneously teach you how to play and introduce new facets of gameplay. Every few levels, there’s something new or different happening. What’s more, the game offers a good challenge along the way.
Chopper Rescue is in concept and execution a fun little action game that doesn’t quite have the legs to carry it very far. By no means is it a poorly designed game – not at all. But it just lacks the certain characteristic to truly impress you or make you want to tell all of your friends about it. [ Chopper Rescue Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Chopper RescueiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-01 :: Category: Games / Adventure :: SHORT-LIVEDRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Chopper Rescue |
| Gameloft Converts GT Racing to Freemium Posted: 23 Mar 2011 06:04 AM PDT
Gameloft is apparently banking on the App Store’s love of all things free, as it has recently converted GT Racing: Motor Academy to GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+, a freemium title. The new freemium version doesn’t cost a cent to get started, but to unlock all of the content, you'll need to fork over some cash. Gameloft’s own PR writers are quick to extoll the virtues of the new, freemium model:
So, most of the content is unlockable for free…if you’re willing to put in the time. Otherwise, you can pay cash to advance more quickly. Additionally, some features such as multiplayer now require an in-app purchase. The original GT Racing: Motor Academy, which was a single paid purchase that unlocked all content, is no longer available for purchase. GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+, on the other hand, can be download now in the App Store. Just be aware that it’s going to take up a lot of space!  GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2011-03-10 :: Category: Games / Racing [ Gameloft Converts GT Racing to Freemium is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+ |
A random fact I bet you didn’t know, Centipede was co-created by one of the very few female game programmers in the industry during the 1980s, Dona Bailey. This might not be of interest to you but as someone with an one time interest in games programming, I was intrigued.
Hot Springs Story is perhaps not as instantly addictive as Game Dev Story either. It takes longer to hook you, mostly because in the early stages, it’s not obvious what you’re meant to do next. A help section offers plenty of advice but in a slightly unwieldy way that makes you wish for a more comprehensive tutorial. Once it gets its claws into you though, much like Game Dev Story, you’ll be hooked. 
There’s also the addition of structure courtesy of the magazine contests that pop up. These contests allow you to focus on certain clientele and aim to be the best in your chosen field. In turn, if you win, you gain more money, become more popular and acquire more advertising. It ensures that there feels like there’s more point to Hot Springs Story rather than Game Dev Story’s method of providing award ceremonies which didn’t really change enough to matter hugely. 
The most apparant one is screen space issues. When the game entirely revolves around searching every nook and cranny of the screen in order to find the many items scattered around, the iPhone screen just doesn’t cut it. It’s too small. It’s not game breaking by any means. You can zoom in after all and it’s very easy to do so with a simple double tap of the screen, but it is less than ideal. As I played through the game I quietly kept wishing to myself that I had an iPad (admittedly a common dream of mine). I’ve no doubt that the iPad version of Escape Rosecliff Island is fantastic and truly equal to the PC edition. 
Gameloft is infamous for, err, being “inspired” by mainstream hits, and GT Racing, Gameloft’s answer to Gran Turismo, was no exception. With local and online multiplayer, 6-player races, Gameloft’s typical slick graphics and over 100 vehicles, GT Racing won plenty of fans. However, there was one thing it lacked…at least by App Store standards. GT Racing wasn’t free.| You are subscribed to email updates from 148Apps - iPhone App Reviews, iPhone Game Reviews, and iPhone News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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