148Apps Main |
- Green Day Revenge Review
- Square Enix Launches Smartphone-Focused Game Studio, Hippos Lab
- The Happy Apps Review
- Barcode Hero Lands the Best of Hearst
- Bird Zapper Review
- Test Your Wit With Brains’ Atomic Adventures
- Hero: 108 Review
- Challenge and Improve Your Spatial Reasoning Skills with Pictorial
- Operation Wow Review
- MeMap: Trying To Solve The Quandary of Differing Geolocation Services
- Angry Birds Rio HD Review
- Doodle Jump Hits 10 Million Downloads, Multiplayer Mode and iPad Version Coming
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 12:04 PM PDT  Green Day Revenge ReviewBy Blake Grundman on March 24th, 2011Our Rating:   :: ROCK ON!iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Rock out, Green Day style.
Developer: Tapulous, Inc. Price: $4.99 Version: 1.0 App Reviewed on: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.38 out of 5 stars
Designed by the tried and true rhythm game development team over at Tapulous, and part of their ongoing series of Tap Tap Revolution/Revenge titles, you can pretty much guess what you are getting into before even opening the app for the first time. The game will have music, a ever flowing road of notes rushing towards the face of the screen, and plenty of finger cramps to boot. Seeing as how Green Day Revenge was timed to release simultaneously with the band’s new compilation album Awesome As F**k, it would only make sense that the game consists of some the band’s biggest hits including the likes of American Idiot, Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), and Basket Case. Further sweetening the pot are playable versions of live and never before heard recordings featuring their classics 21 Guns, Know Your Enemy, She, and When I Come Around. Another important thing to note is that unlike other games like Rock Band, as far as we could tell none of the tracks have been edited for objectionable content, so get ready to swear along to your heart’s content. Let’s face it, Really the only reasonable complaint about a title like this would be the lack of innovation. It is hard to tell whether the game is based off of the Tap Tap Revenge 3 or 4 engine, but either way, there is nothing that can be pointed to as a unique new feature or mode. While this is unfortunate, the actual base gameplay, not to mention the amazing tracklist, is more than strong enough to win over those that are still on the fence. When it comes right down to it, Green Day Revenge hits all of the sweet spots necessary to be a successful rhythm/music game, without having to break the mold of user expectations. Backed by an tremendous set of hits, the question is not as much why you should but it, but rather why haven’t you bought it yet!? [ Green Day Revenge Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Green Day RevengeiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $4.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-21 :: Category: Games / Music :: ROCK ON!Read Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Green Day Revenge |
| Square Enix Launches Smartphone-Focused Game Studio, Hippos Lab Posted: 24 Mar 2011 11:30 AM PDT
[ Square Enix Launches Smartphone-Focused Game Studio, Hippos Lab is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: CHAOS RINGS, CRYSTAL DEFENDERS, FINAL FANTASY, Secret of Mana, SLIDING HEROES |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 11:04 AM PDT  The Happy Apps ReviewBy Phillip Levin on March 24th, 2011Our Rating:  :: INTRIGUINGiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Got a headache? This app claims it can cure it.
Developer: The Happy Apps Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.1 Device Reviewed On: iPhone iPhone Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Happy Apps (yes, that’s its name) is a light therapy app that’s designed to treat these ailments as well as many others. The idea of using light therapy to cure certain conditions is not an idea born out of this iOS app, however. Rather, it has been around the medicine community for a long time. The basic concept behind light therapy is that exposure to certain wavelengths of light and color can be used to treat some medical conditions, including circadian rhythm disorders, seasonal affective disorder, sinus-related congestion, skin problems and even some psychiatric disorders. Of course, there is no absolute proof that light exposure works. But for some people, it seems to. The app itself is well-designed and easy to use. When you start it up, you have several options as far as your light therapy goes. Once you start a session you simply sit back and watch the screen. The Light Therapy Box allows you to set up a session of simulated natural light exposure, which supposedly relieves symptoms of depressions and seasonal affective disorder. Or you can use The Color Therapist option to read about how each color of light affects you and what each color is used to treat, as well as start a specific color session. There is also The Help Yourself Happiness Guide, which lets you either use a body map to locate Chakra points and suggested color therapy for ailments affecting those points, or you can use a search feature to look up the suggested light therapy for a specific condition.
If you’re wondering why I’m giving Happy Apps such a high score, despite that it may not even do what it says, it’s because it is a well-designed, intuitive application. Does it actually work? I’m not sure about that. I had a slight headache when I started testing it, so I tried the suggest green light exposure for treating headaches and it didn’t improve my headache whatsoever. But some people claim light therapy works. And if it does for them, Happy Apps offers a cheap, portable way to get what they need – hence the four-star rating. [ The Happy Apps Review is a post from 148Apps ]  The Happy AppsiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $1.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-18 :: Category: Lifestyle :: INTRIGUINGRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: The Happy Apps |
| Barcode Hero Lands the Best of Hearst Posted: 24 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PDT
Barcode Hero is now going this route by not only providing price comparisons, but also adding in the ability to cross reference beauty products and video games with their respective review scores on Hearst’s RealBeauty.com and 1Up.com. Both sites are trusted and well respected sources for professional reviews, so this seems like a perfect fit. You can download Barcode Hero for free from the link below and potentially save yourself a significant amount of misery in the future. Trust us, bad makeup decisions can last for days, and bad video games can scar for life. Protect yourself and the ones you love.  Barcode HeroiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2010-08-07 :: Category: Social Networking [ Barcode Hero Lands the Best of Hearst is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Barcode Hero |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 10:04 AM PDT  Bird Zapper ReviewBy Bonnie Eisenman on March 24th, 2011Our Rating: :: BIRD-BRAINED FUNUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Bird Zapper is a fun reincarnation of the omnipresent “match-3″ game, with a fluid feel, good graphics, and a highly ridiculous premise.
Developer: NAMCO Bandai Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0 Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.81 out of 5 stars
The story, however, is a little convoluted. Skippy the Squirrel, who lives in a power line pole, had his music player short-circuited. Somehow this is the fault of the birds perched on the power lines, so he sets out to knock them off—and it’s your duty to help him. All right, so it doesn’t make sense, but who needs a premise anyway? Bird Zapper starts with three “power lines,” which are laid out horizontally across the screen. They really act like sliding rows of blocks, as each power line is stuffed with birds. Each bird is color-coded (owls are red, for example). To clear the birds, you have to swipe and draw a line between three or more birds of the same color without touching a non-matching bird. Those birds then disappear, and their corresponding power line slides forward. Like any match-3 game, there are special effects: birds with hats trigger a “target practice” mini-event, bomb birds can be tapped to trigger an explosion, and you can tap falling eggs for extra points. However, these are just minor distractions from the main game. As you clear birds, the power lines zip forward with more in a never-ending stream. This gives Bird Zapper a fast-paced and fluid feel, which is a nice change from most match-3′s. Eventually, the three power lines expand to four, and then five, making survival an even greater challenge. Bird Zapper has three modes: Survival, Blitz, and Zen. Survival mode pits you against an ever-depleted “power bar,” while Blitz tasks you with maximizing your points during a minute of play. Zen has no restrictions. Both Survival and Blitz are very energetic game modes, so Zen provides a nice counterpoint. Graphics are very slick, and even on a second-generation iPod Touch everything runs fluidly. The sound effects are a little annoying, but bearable, and can be switched off. Additionally, Bird Zapper integrates with Game Center, so the competitively minded can enjoy leaderboards and achievements. If there’s one problem I have with Bird Zapper, it’s that it isn’t that different from match-3′s like Bejeweled. The different game modes aren’t that original, and the core gameplay doesn’t require much strategy. Still, Bird Zapper manages to be fun in a way that many similar games aren’t, and I think that speaks to the attention to detail present here. Bird Zapper feels slick, and it’s truly fun to play—even if it isn’t the most original game in the App Store, Bird Zapper excels where it counts. [ Bird Zapper Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Bird Zapper!Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-17 :: Category: Games / Puzzle :: BIRD-BRAINED FUNRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Bird Zapper! |
| Test Your Wit With Brains’ Atomic Adventures Posted: 24 Mar 2011 09:30 AM PDT
The problem with a mechanical puppy is that it still likes to behave like a rambunctious flea bag, but now it has the strength to cause some serious damage. In Brains’ Atomic Adventures you are on the hunt for your riled up pup, and have a series of mini-games and Best of all, the game is free so you have no excuse not to give it a look! Just be ready to have your brain inundated with tons of scientific information in the process. This is a small price to pay to have a digital dog of your very own.  Brains' Atomic AdventuresUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2011-03-03 :: Category: Games / Educational [ Test Your Wit With Brains’ Atomic Adventures is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Brains' Atomic Adventures |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 09:04 AM PDT  Hero: 108 ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 24th, 2011Our Rating: :: FUN BUT LIMITEDiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Hero: 108 offers some pretty simplistic yet entertaining minigames at a low price. Lack of high score functionality hurts it, though.
Developer: Gamania Digital Entertainment Price: FREE (soon to be $0.99) Version Reviewed: 1.01 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.19 out of 5 stars Hero: 108 is a collection of quirky mini games bundled together under the guise of the cartoon series of the same name, one that admittedly I know nothing of. As it’s free at the time of writing, you might as well download Hero: 108; it’s quite fun in short bursts. Once it hits the $.99 price tag though, I’m not so sure.
Each of these games are pretty fun. None of them particularly stand out but in turn, none of them are particularly weak either. The weakness lies in the lack of leaderboard support. For a title focused so heavily on beating your previous high score, it seems bizarre that there’s no way of comparing your scores with friends. There’s no GameCenter or OpenFeint support, there’s not even a way of sharing your scores via Facebook or Twitter. Even more bizarrely, you can’t even compare your previous scores through the app as it doesn’t save them. It’s a huge oversight for such a game. It’s unfortunate as the lack of high scores eradicates the replay value that Hero: 108 could potentially offer. As it stands, it’s an OK game with a nice quirky style behind it. However it’s a game that feels more worthwhile as a freebie than something you have to pay for. Maybe if high score support follows, it’ll have a bit more of a point to it.
[ Hero: 108 Review is a post from 148Apps ]  HERO: 108iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-09 :: Category: Games / Adventure :: FUN BUT LIMITEDRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: HERO: 108 |
| Challenge and Improve Your Spatial Reasoning Skills with Pictorial Posted: 24 Mar 2011 08:30 AM PDT If you’re looking for a way to improve your spatial reasoning skills then look no further than Pictorial. The app is designed to challenge users to solve geometrical puzzles by rotating objects. You use the touchscreen to rotate constellations until they are upright and create an object. You’ll come across numerous different shapes, including stars, houses, animals and more. There are two different themes in the game, including Night City and Arctic, and the game’s developer promises more are coming soon. “Spatial reasoning is a common part of intelligence tests, pre-employment tests and admission tests to certain educations,” Pictorial’s developer says about the app. “Also spatial reasoning is generally regarded as one of the most basic reasoning abilities together with verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning. Some constellations are simple while others are quite challenging. But the game has a “help” feature that rotates constellations for you, revealing the true shape of the object. Pictorial is available for free on the iTunes App Store and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Check out a preview trailer of the app below.  [ Challenge and Improve Your Spatial Reasoning Skills with Pictorial is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Pictorial |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 08:04 AM PDT  Operation Wow ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 24th, 2011Our Rating: :: NOSTALGIC FUNiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Operation Wow offers a great homage to arcade classic Operation Wolf
Developer: Ivanovich Games Price: $0.99 (usually $1.99) Version Reviewed: 1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars Operation Wolf was a fantastic game back in the day. I have very fond memories of playing through it as a child. Operation Wow goes some way to providing me with that experience again.
It’s an easy game to get to grips with and there’s a welcome change of pace with the addition of multi touch shooting as well as the ability to create chain reactions. All the nice Operation Wolf style touches are there such as a vulture flying over the top of the screen, nurses getting in the way and the increasingly frantic nature of the game. Besides the arcade mode, there’s also the inclusion of two minigames: Targets and Meat Ninja. Both of these are pretty frivolous but you might find them briefly enjoyable. Targets is as simple as the name suggests, Meat Ninja involves you shooting at flying joints of meat. GameCenter leaderboards and achivements are good to see and satisfying to accomplish. As well as that, the general appearance of Operation Wow works without overcomplicating matters. This is Operation Wow all over really, providing easy thrills and doing exactly what you’d expect from a homage to operation Wolf. It won’t set the world on fire with its originality but you will enjoy your time with it.
[ Operation Wow Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Operation wowiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-16 :: Category: Games / Action :: NOSTALGIC FUNRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Operation wow |
| MeMap: Trying To Solve The Quandary of Differing Geolocation Services Posted: 24 Mar 2011 08:01 AM PDT
MeMap is an iOS app that is designed to try and connect all these people and services together, in a way. See, MeMap integrates with Facebook Places, considering that Facebook is one of the most used services on the internet, so you have a massive userbase there, and it will be valuable to a good number of users. When you load up the app and connect your Facebook account, you will get an interactive map that shows any geolocation data from your Facebook friends. Now, here’s where the connection of disparate networks comes in – if data is shared from a service like Foursquare, Gowalla, or Loopt, it is pinned to your MeMap map. Now, there’s obviously the thought that it actually isn’t integrating those other services, but this may be to the advantage of the service – it’s just far easier to support just a Facebook login, and doesn’t complicate the user experience. The ultimate idea behind MeMap, as according to the founder of MeMap, Matt Farnell, is to make something similar to Twitter, where it’s easy to just follow what your friends are doing. "We draw an analogy between our concept in the location sharing space, and the way that people have evolved to use Twitter. The current location sharing networks would be like limiting Twitter to the content creators, excluding anyone preferring to simply follow." After all, that is the interesting thing about Twitter, and about geolocation services – it’s about targeting messages and sharing what you want to share to people who are interested in it. Twitter has made it easy, and MeMap is hoping to step into that space. Their app is available on the App Store right now for free.  [ MeMap: Trying To Solve The Quandary of Differing Geolocation Services is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: MeMap |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 07:04 AM PDT  Angry Birds Rio HD ReviewBy Carter Dotson on March 24th, 2011Our Rating: :: NEW PLACE, SAME BIRDSiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Angry Birds Rio HD is the iPad version of the latest entry in the Angry Birds series, incorporating characters and locales from the upcoming movie Rio in the familiar Angry Birds gameplay.
Developer: Rovio Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPad 1G Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.13 out of 5 stars
And that is the game’s greatest strength – it’s familiar, and still as curiously addictive as ever. There’s still just that X factor with the game, where it is just difficult to put down, where you want to keep playing, and want to go back and improve your scores. While the game comes with 60 levels, 4 updates are promised in the level selection menu in May, July, October, and November, so this is definitely an app that will increase its value over time. There’s Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements, of course. The Rio product placement angle is actually very subtle – you’re largely just freeing random birds from cages in the “Smugglers’ Den” levels, and then taking out strategically placed marmosets in the “Jungle Escape” levels. This is really just Angry Birds set in a new locale with different targets to take out; the Rio branding hasn’t changed much, except for one particular boss fight that incorporates one new bird against a moving target, and the one new bird should hopefully play a role in the future levels.
Angry Birds Rio HD may not be all that innovative, but it’s still Angry Birds. It’s still remarkably fun and addictive. If you’ve played a ton of the original and Seasons versions and need more, then definitely give this one a whirl. If not, then there isn’t anything here that would convince you to love the series if you haven’t fallen under its charms already. [ Angry Birds Rio HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Angry Birds Rio HDiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: $2.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-22 :: Category: Games / Arcade :: NEW PLACE, SAME BIRDSRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Angry Birds Rio HD |
| Doodle Jump Hits 10 Million Downloads, Multiplayer Mode and iPad Version Coming Posted: 24 Mar 2011 06:04 AM PDT
What’s more, it said that the iPad version of Doodle Jump is still in development and will be coming down the pipeline eventually. The developer said the iPad version will include brand new content as well. Finally, there’s a little more Doodle Jump news. The developer revealed that it is in the process of bringing the franchise to the XBox Live Arcade and the Kinect. No other details than that were provided by the company’s press release today, however. "After such incredible first two years, it is safe to say Doodle Jump has exceeded even our wildest imaginations," says Igor Pusenjak, founder of Lima Sky. "We are looking forward to bringing even more amazing content to millions of Doodle Jump fans around the world." You can download Doodle Jump for 99 cents on the App Store. Check out our full review of the game here. [ Doodle Jump Hits 10 Million Downloads, Multiplayer Mode and iPad Version Coming is a post from 148Apps ] |
At first glance, Bird Zapper looks a bit like any other Bejeweled clone. However, Bird Zapper stands out with a more fluid, dynamic feel, great graphics, and an overall feeling of polish.
The mini games themselves are entertaining enough, at least for five minutes or so. There are six in all, each focusing on tapping quickly. One of them requires you to shoot down arrows before they hit you, a quick tap of the screen sorts that out. Another requires you to tap a rhino furiously in order to stop it trampling over you. Others require you to hit enemies as they appear from holes, much like a carnival game. The remaining three are similar in nature, mostly focusing on tapping the screen quickly and at the right time. One game comprises of air hockey and offers a bit more strategy but it still sticks to the key focus within Hero: 108: reacting quickly. 
Offering three different modes of play, there’s a reasonable amount to sink your teeth in. The meat of it comes from the arcade mode, which provides six stages in all to shoot your way through. Controls are simple and very responsive – simply tap at your foes to shoot them. If you want to toss a grenade, all that’s needed is a quick sweep up the screen to throw it. It’s intuitive and it works perfectly. The addition of multi touch support is a great thing to see as it means you can fire at various different enemies at once. Something that quickly becomes vital in harder stages and higher difficulty levels. Each stage has its own theme comprising of all the typical stages of a shooter such as an army base, jungle, warehouse and airport.
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