148Apps Main |
- Doodle Plump offers More Familiar Endless Jumping Fun
- Championship Manager 1980s Legends Review
- Dungeon Defenders Makes Full Use of the iPad 2
- Facemood :) Review
- iD&D Company Spotlight: Level 99 Games
- iCookbook Review
- Last Night Never Happened Review
- Angry Birds Rio Review
- Tasty Planet Review
- Hit the Slopes with Snowboard Hero
| Doodle Plump offers More Familiar Endless Jumping Fun Posted: 31 Mar 2011 12:30 PM PDT Gamobi have followed up their rather entertaining and simple game Flying Chicks with something just as simple yet compelling – Doodle Plump.
It does look rather fun though. Tilt based controls are simple to learn and by the looks of things, it’s the ideal game to ‘jump’ into for five minutes here or there when you want something quick but satisfying. Game Center support is there to ensure you can compete with your friends for the best high score and an array of different powerups and enemies mean there’s a bit more to it than simply jumping down the platforms. Take a look at the gameplay video below for more idea of what to expect. Doodle Plump is available now for the price of fresh air – yup, nothing.
 Doodle Plump FREEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: FREE Released: 2011-03-30 :: Category: Games / Arcade [ Doodle Plump offers More Familiar Endless Jumping Fun is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Doodle Plump FREE |
| Championship Manager 1980s Legends Review Posted: 31 Mar 2011 12:04 PM PDT Developer: Eidos Interactive Price: $2.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.81 out of 5 stars
Upon starting a new game, you get the choice of three periods during the 1980s – 1980, 1983 and 1986. In each case, historical events affect what happens. 1980 for example was the year in which Nottingham Forest were Kings of Europe but there was also the rise of hooliganism. By 1986 all English teams were banned from Europe due to the Heysel Stadium disaster. Each of these factors affect how the game plays out. It also means a plethora of soon to be greats. Load up 1980 and you get a very young Gary Lineker, available to buy at the tender age of 19.
Typical features such as creating your own tactics and playing styles, adjusting training schedules and set piece takers are all there. There’s also the media negotiations – charming journalists at press conferences, that adds an appropriate extra twist to things. Previous bugs that Championship Manager 2011 suffered from have clearly been ironed out as nothing peculiar occured results wise. The in-game engine is a little poor to look at and bizarrely there’s no sound whatsoever in the game, but excluding these presentational elements, Championship Manager 1980s Legends provides a pretty sound game of football management. If you’re a child of the 80s like myself, you’ll love the nostalgia infused experience. It makes for a great change of pace and you can’t help but wonder why no one thought of it before. Download Championship Manager 1980s Legends now, currently only available in the UK. [ Championship Manager 1980s Legends Review is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: |
| Dungeon Defenders Makes Full Use of the iPad 2 Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:30 AM PDT
Luckily, the iPad 2 has come to our rescue and Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment is happy to announce that lag is now a thing of the past. Apparently a perk of developing using the Unreal Engine is that you are by default writing code that is compatible with dual core PCs. This technology can now be applied to the dual cores found in the iPad 2, thereby kicking the prior slowdown to the curb, with minimal effort on their end. Though I was initially skeptical about this news, as you can see in the video above and all remnants of stuttering have gone the way of the Dodo. I guess this is just one more perk of using the Unreal Engine. Here is to hoping that other developers are taking notes. [ Dungeon Defenders Makes Full Use of the iPad 2 is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Dungeon Defenders: First Wave, Infinity Blade |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:04 AM PDT  Facemood :) ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 31st, 2011Our Rating:    :: GOOD IDEAiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad A fun idea that could just use a little more work
Developer: Frimby Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 iPhone Integration Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.33 out of 5 stars Facemood is a fantastic starting point to a pretty cool concept. It’s meant to help you assess just what mood your friends are in according to their Facebook status. Much like mood rings of old though, accuracy isn’t its strongest point and there’s that nagging feeling that maybe you should just ask them how they are.
Searching through your friends’ moods is a simple matter of browsing through the friends list and tapping their name. The problem lies in how long it takes for Facemood to analyze their statuses. It does take a little while, sometimes upwards of 30 seconds or so. An annoying amount of times I also found it refusing to load, instead stating that I didn’t have an internet connection when I did. Adding friends to your favourites list seemed to speed things up a bit at least. The actual results are similarly mixed too. Sometimes it would be spot on with its predictions but other times it’d be totally wrong. For instance, one friend of mine had posted on their status about whether anyone wanted to buy their car. It was a very neutral message but because they used the word ‘know’, Facemood read the ‘no’ part of the word and assumed it was a negative status message. Being able to read through why Facemood thinks a status reflects a certain mood is handy in order to figure it out though. There’s also the added benefit of being able to add your own keywords which can affect results wildly. Facemood is a great idea but it’s one that doesn’t quite hit the spot. As a fun little app to mess around with, it’s a good concept and passed the time. It could just do with recognising words a bit better and fixing those pesky slowdown problems. [ Facemood :) Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Facemood :)iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-27 :: Category: Social Networking :: GOOD IDEARead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Facemood :) |
| iD&D Company Spotlight: Level 99 Games Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PDT Hello fellow RPGers. After a short hiatus, iD&D is back. This month we take a look at a company who is doing the right thing for RPG players throughout the genres, Level 99 Games. I caught up with the Supreme Overlord of Level 99 Games, Brad Talton, for a quick overview of his company. Brad’s basis for creating Level 99 Games came from his personal interest in the field of RPGs. “I created Level 99 Games with two ideas in mind: Expression and Immersion. The first is the idea that games are a form of personal expression. RPGs especially allow players to take the game and make it their own by adding content, creating characters, and planning their own adventures.” Immersion is found much more in their competitive titles, such as the companies recent release of Super Psychic Chibi Fighters 3. “…players want to become immersed in games that deepen and grow the more they are played and examined. For this reason, I try to create games with many layers of strategy.” Level 99 Games boasts an impressive library of tools and games for various interest levels. For iD&D, of course, we’re especially interested in pen and paper titles. Below is a brief summary of the titles currently available from Brad and his company.
Treasure Box “Ok, we downed the boss. Turn to page 25. Roll 3 d10s, 2 d8s, 6 d4s, add those together, divide by the square root of pie, and then we know which table to roll from next.” Sound familiar? It doesn’t have to. With Treasure Box, all your spoils are only a click away. Spell Book A random spell generator that provides something new each time it’s used. Users beware, results may not be ideal. Dungeon Room Everyone has that guy in his group who just doesn’t have the imagination necessary to come up with vast exciting and detailed dungeons that really immerse the player into the world. If you think you don’t have one, you might want to do some personal reflection. In any case, Dungeon Room makes it easy. With the click of a button Dungeon Masters are provided with dungeon rooms complete with traps, treasure, and encounters. For the beginner and advanced user alike. Character Generator Lets face it, creating characters can get old, especially in an urban environment. With Character Generator, not only can you populate cities in minutes, but you can save them and add notes along the way to provide a more realistic and fluid story complete with character development. Steven Spielberg watch out.
Cartographer is a mapping application which is built around the concept of maps as a collage, rather than a series of tiles. The app’s high-resolution graphics can create stunning maps with ease, and export them to printable PNGs on your device as well. Features: DM Tookit DM Toolkit is a constantly updated and maintained toolbox that replaces sourcebooks, dice, charts, and initiative sheets for a game master. DM Toolkit contains a series of widgets to be used at the gaming table, and handy tools for sorting your game resources, and even managing multiple campaigns! DM Toolkit provides a much more universal application versus the RPG series titles, which have a much more specific use. Applying DM Toolkit to a game is simple and effective. Features: Thanks for checking out this months iD&D company profile of Level 99 Games. The RPG community is better for the hard work that people like Brad do for us each and every day. Check out one of the various titles offered by Level 99 Games today!  RPG Treasure BoxiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2009-10-13 :: Category: Utilities / Board  RPG SpellBookiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2009-11-03 :: Category: Utilities / Adventure  RPG Dungeon RoomiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Released: 2009-10-14 :: Category: Utilities / Adventure  RPG Character GeneratoriPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $2.99 Released: 2010-03-23 :: Category: Utilities / Adventure  RPG CartographeriPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: $10.99 Released: 2010-08-03 :: Category: Utilities / Role Playing  DM ToolkitUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Buy Now: $12.99 Released: 2010-04-30 :: Category: Utilities / Role Playing [ iD&D Company Spotlight: Level 99 Games is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: DM Toolkit, RPG Cartographer, RPG Character Generator, RPG Dungeon Room, RPG SpellBook, RPG Treasure Box |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:04 AM PDT  iCookbook ReviewBy Chantelle Joy Duxbury on March 31st, 2011Our Rating: :: INNER CHEF REJOICEiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad This beautiful and well designed app offers a host of brand-name recipies and unique features other iPad Cooking apps lack.
Developer: Publications International Ltd Price: $4.99 iPhone Integration Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars Right out of the gate, iCookbook is a visually stunning app. It’s obvious why the designers decided to go with the iPad as the native device for this one because it simply wouldn’t work as well on a smaller screen. What you’ll find within the iCookbook app is over 2000 recipes tested by the editors of Publications International. They really know their stuff. They’ve been writing brand-specific cookbooks for decades, and have published over 200 of them.
An overview of each recipe gives you the ingredients, instructions and other helpful info. This app isn’t just for reference, it’s built for interaction. Once you click ‘Prepare’ you will get step by step instructions, which can be controlled via Voice Command. This is one of the most unique and functional features of iCookbook, and what helps set it apart from other apps in this category. While you might be wrist-deep in cookie dough, you can simply say “NEXT” (or any number of other commands) interact with your recipe. However, it’s not always the most receptive, and you may find yourself repeating yourself a few times. Still, I’m impressed with this feature and function. Finally, I want to point out that this app offers another function that it may not get as much press for, but I think is amazing. You have the ability to enter in your own recipes. iCookbook can easily become your depository for all recipes in your house. Only a few drawbacks to this amazing app. I’m not a fan of cookbooks which are undeniably thinly veiled advertisements for the brands and products they promote. iCookbooks is obviously brand supported, every recipe has a brand specific ingredient. Luckily none of the recipes I found were so blatant to be named something like “Hershey’s ® Chocolate Square Bites” or anything like that. Finally, you’ll be able to share all of this via email and Facebook, as it does have some social networking integration. You can also Print recipes and shopping lists via AirPrint. Honestly, there are about half a dozen more neat features you should read up on, too. All in all, however this is definitely one of the best cookbook and recipe apps out there. It’s very reasonably priced, starting at only $4.99, and there are additional recipe packs available as in-app purchases. I know that I’ll definitely try to use this more, and am looking forward to trying some of the tastiness. [ iCookbook Review is a post from 148Apps ]  iCookbook – thousands of name-brand recipes with easy VoiciPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Buy Now: $4.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-16 :: Category: Lifestyle :: INNER CHEF REJOICERead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: iCookbook – thousands of name-brand recipes with easy Voic |
| Last Night Never Happened Review Posted: 31 Mar 2011 09:04 AM PDT  Last Night Never Happened ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 31st, 2011Our Rating: :: CONVENIENTiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Last Night Never Happened hopes to save your skin if you’re an overly chatty social networking drinker.
Developer: 22Seeds Ltd Price: $0.99 (usually $1.99) Version Reviewed: 1.0 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 iPhone Integration Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars We’ve all had one of those nights. You know the ones. Where you can’t quite remember what happened other than the fact that there were plenty of drinks and good times. You’ve got a splitting headache now and you’ve vowed to never drink. Worst of all, thanks to modern technology, you were able to phone, text, tweet and Facebook to your heart’s content. Not a good idea if your ex is still on your follow list, you’d like that secret crush to remain secret or worse, your boss is on there.
Tweets are removed easily enough however as well as Direct Messages, although if someone’s got e-mail notifications switch on, you might not save yourself. If you’ve responded to someone else’s Facebook comment, it’ll happily remove those too. Obviously it’s down to you to remember this in time, before anyone else can see what you said. The app doesn’t remember your Facebook login details, presumably for security reasons, so you have to log back in each time. Other than that though, it’s a pretty simple app to use. I’m fortunate enough to not really say anything out of hand when I’ve been drinking but for those who slip up from time to time, this could be a real life saver. [ Last Night Never Happened Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Last Night Never Happened: the "Morning-After" AppiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-20 :: Category: Social Networking :: CONVENIENTRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Last Night Never Happened: the "Morning-After" App |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2011 08:04 AM PDT  Angry Birds Rio ReviewBy Derek Walter on March 31st, 2011Our Rating: :: BIRDTASTICiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad The Angry Birds return in another addicting and challenging game that promises to please its fans as well as newcomers to the series.
Developer:Rovio Mobile Price: $.99 Version: 1.0 App Reviewed on: iPhone 4 iGraphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars User Interface Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.13 out of 5 stars The Angry Birds are back. Angry Birds Rio is the latest from the ubiquitous game franchise. Just like the previous versions, Angry Birds Rio will hook you with hours of bird-flinging fun. If you are burned out on the Angry Birds experience, however, there may not be enough new content to win you over. In this game the Angry Birds’ fellow winged creatures have been kidnapped and hidden away in a warehouse in Rio. You must rescue them the by catapulting your feathered weapons at various contraptions that guard the caged birds. The gameplay is not dramatically different from the original Angry Birds, yet it does have some subtle changes that will interest enthusiasts. For example, many of the puzzles include ropes, hanging shades and elaborate trees that throw an extra challenge when compared to the original game. The game begins in Smugglers’ Den, which is the warehouse where the stolen birds are kept. The next level is Jungle Escape, which has some complex shrubbery trying to prevent you from defeating a new group of enemies. There are 60 levels within the two episodes, with more slots preserved for future updates. Also, those who love to rack up achievements will have plenty of hidden fruit to find. Some users have expressed anger on App Store review forums over the “ads” that appear throughout the game. Players can upgrade certain gameplay options or purchase merchandise through Angry Birds Rio. It is a slight distraction, although it is easy to ignore them. Angry Birds Rio does, however, have good integration with Game Center, as there are many achievements to unlock throughout the game. If you are eager to take on new challenges with your favorite birds, then dropping $0.99 on Angry Birds Rio is a no-brainer. For those who have Angry Birds fatigue and have had their fill, there is nothing dramatically new to pull you in. However, Rovio Mobile likely has another hit on its hands with a game that does not seem to be losing its appeal anytime soon. [ Angry Birds Rio Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Angry Birds RioiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-03-17 :: Category: Games / Puzzle :: BIRDTASTICRead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Angry Birds Rio |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2011 07:04 AM PDT  Tasty Planet ReviewBy Jennifer Allen on March 31st, 2011Our Rating: :: ADDICTIVEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Tasty Planet offers some simple but addictive gaming in the form of eating everything that moves.
Developer: Dingo Games Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.2 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.94 out of 5 stars Simplicity is sometimes all that’s needed to produce an enjoyable game. Tasty Planet taps into this, focusing on one very specific aim – to eat lots – and turning into an addictive few hours of gaming.
That’s mostly all there is to it. There’s 60 levels in all to entice you, each with a different theme. Some of these levels comprise of simple puzzles, such as working your way around the screen to collect up puzzle pieces. Other levels simply want you to collect up 300 of the same creature, again mixing things up a bit. There’s also a loose story about how this little grey goo started out as a bathroom cleaner before slowly but surely ruling the world by eating everything from dirt to cats to the galaxy. GameCenter leaderboards and achievements add to the experience, giving you a bit more purpose. Ultimately though, it’s down to the oddly compelling nature of eating everything in your wake. Tasty Planet is a soothing experience with limited threat meaning you don’t have to feel rushed, unless you’re in it for the best times. It turns out that sometimes the simplest of ideas really are the most fun. I was impressed to see just how fast time went once I got into Tasty Planet and found myself working my way through each level. My only complaint is that it might be a little too easy as there’s a definite lack of peril here, bar larger things being able to reduce your size. [ Tasty Planet Review is a post from 148Apps ]  Tasty PlanetiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $0.99 Our Rating: Released: 2011-02-01 :: Category: Games / Adventure :: ADDICTIVERead Our Full Review >> Apps mentioned in this post: Tasty Planet |
| Hit the Slopes with Snowboard Hero Posted: 31 Mar 2011 06:04 AM PDT
Snowboard Hero is a full-length snowboarding title designed specifically for Apple's portable device. The game supports retina display visuals and looks to deliver an experience more on par with something you'd find on a console rather than a portable device like the iPhone. Using a combination of touch and tilt controls, you'll board down slopes, collecting power-ups, performing tricks and earning points to charge up your boost bar. The game lets you choose from four different characters, each with six standard and four special tricks to unlock. Each character in the title has his or her own boards, clothes and tricks to unlock as well. Your board choice in particular is key here. Each board modifies your character's ability, speed, boost and jump stats, so as you upgrade boards, your character will become even better.
Snowboard Hero is an impressive looking iOS title, making use of retina display visuals to bring to life cartoon-esque, stylized snowboarding. The game features six courses spread out across three unique environments, including ski run, fun park and high mountains. The title also supports online leaderboards via OpenFeint and Game Center. Snowboad Hero is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch on the App Store. The game's developer says that it is already working on more content for the title, including new characters and new courses, which it will release soon. Once the additional content is added to the app, the price will increase to $6.99. However, you can currently purchase the title for an introductory price of $4.99.  Snowboard HeroiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Buy Now: $4.99 Released: 2011-03-30 :: Category: Games / Simulation [ Hit the Slopes with Snowboard Hero is a post from 148Apps ] Apps mentioned in this post: Snowboard Hero |
Does the name ring a bell? Oh it should. But guess what? It’s NOT exactly like Doodle Jump. Instead you’re ‘plumping’ downwards rather than jumping upwards. Ah ha! I see your game, Gamobi. 
The historical element is fantastic, especially being able to effectively change the history books, but it’s fortunate that this is backed up by an enjoyable football sim too. It’s perhaps not as detailed as Football Manager Handheld 2011 but then again the focus is on history and nostalgia rather than anything else. 
Using Facemood is remarkably simple to do. It is however a little slow and faltering to get going. Simply log in with your Facebook details and you’re away. Load up your profile and Facemood is happy to tell you what kind of mood you’re in according to your status. Hopefully you know what mood you’re in of course! Alongside this profile section, you also have a simple but effective Facebook client too which is a handy bonus. 
RPG Tools Series: RPG Treasure Box, RPG Spell Book, RPG Dungeon Room, RPG Character Generator
To begin, you can search for a recipe by ingredient, theme, cuisine, occasion, brand and more. The user interface really is intuitive for this type of app, and I think they’ve worked hard to make this useful for people of all ages and skill levels when it comes to technology use, with large clear text and easily understood organization.
Last Night Never Happened can’t help you when it comes to texts or phone calls but it can nip the Facebook and Twitter problem in the bud. It’s an app that’s so simple to use that even a very hungover person can figure it out. Ideal really. Simply log into your Facebook or Twitter account through the app and roll back the hours. A simple mechanism allows you to choose how many hours worth of posts you want to remove up to 49hrs worth. There are some restrictions. You can’t erase Facebook posts, your status updates, likes or tagging so that has to be done manually. This is a Facebook API restriction however, not the fault of Last Night Never Happened’s developer. 
You’d think it wouldn’t be that addictive immediately. It’s so simple that surely it should get boring, right? Wrong. While all you do is glide around the screen collecting up dirt and bacteria, getting bigger and bigger in a nod to the Katamari series of games. It’s still compelling. Four different control methods exist to ensure that you enjoy the experience the best you can. Tilt controls are easy to calibrate and seem to work the most appropriately, however tapping or using the virtual d-pad works nearly as well too. Trackpad controls exist but I found they disrupted me from being able to see the screen fully on the iPhone. 
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