1st Impressions

I’ve used Zazzle before for custom cards, calendars, and such.  I’ve always been happy with them when it comes to quality products.  And I was quite excited to find out that they came out with a line of custom iPhone cases.

These iPhone cases are of two-part clamshell design and fit with precision.  The overall design is a bit slimmer than my prior case.  And, while there is a bit of lens flair from the flash while taking flash pictures, it isn’t as bad as the prior case I was using.

The thing that sets these cases apart though is that you can have any image you would like printed on the fabric on the back side of the case.  The end result is something that has a very “canvas” feel to it.  While I was originally intending on making a case with a custom QR code containing all my contact information should I ever loose my phone, I instead decided on one of my colorful fractals so that I could see how well the colors turned out in the printing.   As you can see in the original image, the colors came out a bit more vibrant than the original.  I actually like the vibrant colors better.  While this works with a nice design like what I used though, I’m not sure how well it is going to translate to a photo of people.  Also, as you can see in my image, if you are going to add text to the bottom of the design, you should take into account the plastic wrap-around nature of the side pieces so that the bottom part of your lettering does not get cut off.

Creating the design is simple.  Simply upload the image of your choice, position it where you would like, and add any optional text that you prefer.  It only allowed me to select a black font color though.  I would have preferred if additional colors were available.  The overall turn-around from designing the case and submitting the order until delivery was 12-days, and included the Thanksgiving holiday.

Starting at $39.95, I really like this case and it will likely replace the other one I was using.  I think the custom nature of these cases would make for the perfect holiday gift idea for any of your loved ones with an iPhone.  While the link I provided above is for the iPhone 4 case, cases are also available for the iPad and the 3G/3GS models.  For anyone wanting to make that Christmas iPhone or iPad really special, I’d suggest checking out these cases.

AppShopper is, in short, everything I need in order to do any kind of tracking or shopping for iPhone apps. And this must-have app just got even better.

AppShopper.com is basically an online web-based version of the app store.   While you still have to purchase the app through the official store (a convenient link will take you there), this web site not only displays the typical descriptions and screen shots, but tracks the app’s history of updates, price changes, and total sales over the prior 30-days.  But you don’t have to download iTunes and go to the App Store and fetch information any longer.  By marking an app as already purchased or adding it to your wish list, you can get notified when the app changes or the price drops.

These notifications are really what makes this web site and iPhone app that syncs with it powerful.  From the web site, you can receive them via email and/or as RSS feeds for your news reader.  In the iPh0ne app, you can get these push alerts as sounds, popup messages, and badges.  In other words, you can get this information sent to you in a number of ways.

The other really handy thing that makes this site and app great for shopping is the combination of selection criteria available for browsing the site.  As you can see in the screenshots, you can select between popular apps/games/utilities, those that have ad recent changes, those that you already own, and those that you would like to get one day.

Once you get into that selection for all new updates or just popular ones, you can choose to limit it by iPhone apps, iPad apps, Universal apps, or All apps (this is done in the settings).  Another selector lets you choose what category (or combination of categories) you want to browse, whether you want to limit it to paid apps or free apps, and whether you want all types, just updates, new apps, or price changes.  So, for example, you can select to just see iPhone games that are free due to recent price changes. With the Wish List and Purchased App selections, you can limit it by categories and sort your list by date of update, name, or ascending or descending price.

There is only one thing that I wish this iPhone app and/or web site would do that isn’t part of its current functionality.  I wish you could set alerts based on price change below a particular amount.  There are things on my wish list, for example, that are in the $7 or $15 price range.  I’m not interested in them until their price drops to at least half of that.  So I wish there was a way to say “alert me if this title drops $2.99 or below”.  There are other apps out there that do this, and this only, but it would be nice if it were incorporated into this one.

The iPhone app for AppShopper is free.  It is ad-supported, however.  The recent 1.3 version update to the app allows a one-time $0.99 purchase to remove the ads.  It also allows you to filter out foreign language apps that hit the US app store and block certain categories of apps that you may not be interested in.  That is really convenient.  And, as I recently posted on my Facebook page, the timing could not be more perfect for this app.  I’ve received a number of press releases recently telling of sales and free apps coming up next week for the celebration of Thanksgiving.  If you want to stay on top of all of the price drops on some really popular titles from major publishers, and even the titles that you may think are treasures that others consider junk, there is no better solution for that than the AppShopper web site and iPhone app.

Civilization Wars has been a tough title for me to review.  Normally, I have some fairly quick first impressions on an iPhone app or game.  I’ve picked up this combo real-time strategy and role-playing title three times now though and still can’t come to a good conclusion.

My biggest issue with the game is not really a game issue, but a mental one.  It confuses me.  While I and others find it very difficult to figure out, others who have commented on it have suggested that it is way too easy.  The tutorial on the game is straightforward enough, but I couldn’t grasp a winning strategy.  I also ended up with screens full of different icon options that, if they were explained, I don’t remember it.

As a $0.99 title, I kinda get the title that if you are familiar with the other versions of the game, you probably could jump right into this one knowing just what to do.  As it is though, I felt like I’d walked into the middle of a conversation and couldn’t quite pick up what was going on.  As such, I’d highly recommend some additional help be added to the game.  I think it would really solve the wide extremes in opinions about the game.  Until and unless that happens though, I can’t highly recommend this game to those that haven’t played it elsewhere and are more familiar with it.  I don’t think it is a bad game, just one that needs to be better explained in order for it to be more acceptable in the mass market.  I wish I could fall in love with all of the titles I review, but I have to be honest.  If I had a dollar to spend on a Chillingo release, I’d rather do it on Angry Birds or Catch The Rope.  Civilization Wars just wasn’t for me.

Cut The Rope is my new favorite iPhone game.  As another high-quality release from Chillingo, this physics puzzler well deserves its spot, right after Chillingo’s Angry Birds, at the number two spot on the App sales list.

I find the game play of Cut The Rope to be a tad easier than Angry Birds.  It is more of a thinking mans game than brute force and, as the levels increase, takes more and more strategy to complete.  Coming in at 100 levels at the low price of $0.99 (and an additional 25 coming in a pending release), the game gradually increases in both difficulty and complexity.  You start out doing nothing more than cutting ropes with a swipe of your finger in order to feed the critter, Om Nom, a piece of dangling candy.  As you progress though, you get into bubbles that make your candy float, air pumps that blow the bubbles, and even catapults.

But there is more to the game than getting the candy to Om Nom.  You also need to collect all the stars on the screen in the process in order to win the ultimate number of points for a particular level.  The strategy comes in cutting ropes or popping bubbles or whatever not only in the right order, but with the proper timing so that all the goals are accomplished.

The developers are not just sitting on their success though.   If you would like to see a teasing sneak peak at the pending 1.1 update with the new space theme and anti-gravity elements, check out this YouTube video.  The new version will also bring graphics optimized for the retina display and 11 new achievements for the Crystal leaderboards.  And if all of this with a 25% increase in levels are not enough, the developers are also promising a release timed for the holidays with even more Om Nom goodness.  I predict that that level of dedication to their customer base is going to keep this game on the App Store charts for a long time to come.

All in all, I’d give this game a perfect 10 out of 10.  It is simple in concept but will take hours to master.  Three MILLION downloads and 59,000 5-star ratings in the App Store can’t be wrong.  If you don’t have this title on your iPhone yet, you won’t be disappointed.

I have spent the last few weeks checking out four different city building simulators for the iPhone. The question remains: if a developer spends the time to developed a city sim that is not as complex or lacks the name recognition of Sim City, will customers still fork out $5.00 for something that may not have as many bells and whistles?

The first two that I checked out were We City (free) and Build-a-lot 2 (which is $0.99 but whose predecessor is now free in the app store. On a scale of one to ten, I would give both of these a rating comparable with their pricing.

We City is a much easier game to play then any on the others that I tried out and a great place to start out if you are a budding yet inexperienced city planner. One unique thing I like about We City is that it automatically adds a new citizen for each of the buildings that you build, so you end up managing them as well, much like a Virtual Villagers type of game. This social aspect is further enhanced by the use of Plus+ to interact with your friends as they build their cities as well.

Build-a-lot 2, at $0.99, is slightly more challenging than We City. It boasts 35 different projects in 8 unique neighborhoods. It’s sister app, Build-a-lot 2: City of the Year, (also priced at $0.99) adds such things as special buildings and the ability to flip real estate for profit. The best thing I liked about it was the “Sandbox” feature that you could use to do whatever you wanted with your neighborhoods once you completed 3 of the predefined levels in campaign mode. After wetting your hands with We City, I think both of these will be well worth your money as you move your way up the difficulty ladder.

I am going to skip my favorite for a moment and jump to Sim City.  While I am not normally a fan of such games, millions of fans can’t be wrong so I purchased the game at a much higher price  than the $2.99 purchase price of SimCity Deluxe. Apparently, the regular version was upgraded and replaced by the Deluxe version because the original Sim City is no longer in the App Store.  Regardless, I can only assume by the fact that this is a “Deluxe” version that it has even more to it than the the original that I played.

And therein lies my problem. While I haven’t played the Deluxe version I can only imagine that it is just as complex if not more complex then the original – one that was already so complex that I don’t think I even managed to complete the first level.

Now we come to what, in my mind, is the best of the four that we are discussing, Virtual City.  With a huge amount of levels (50) located in several different states (my favorite being my home state of Colorado) as well as 50 different buildings (including the ability to launch a space shuttle).  The game also offers dozens of upgrades as well as five different “Sandbox” areas where you can build what you want where you want. If all these features were not enough to entice you, there is a free Lite version that is just enough to get your feet wet.  Click here for a full review of this title.

Now I know that I have given many different opinions during this review, It appears that App Store reviewers agree with me. They have given We City 2 stars, Build-A-Lot was given 3 stars, Sim City Delux was given 3.5 stars and Virtual City was given the highest of the four by getting 4 stars.

Tiki Toss 3D is a simple $0.99 game where you swing a ring on a rope and attempt to hook it on the totem pole.  What sets this simple game apart from other simple games in this genre though is that 2% of the proceeds from this game have now been announced to The Surfers Healing Foundation for Autism.  The developers will also be donating an iPad and six custom-painted surfboards for auction at The Surfers Healing Art Benefit and an iPod touch to The Surfing Santa Contest on November 20, 2010 in Southern California.  Now granted, that is a drop in the bucket compared to what Steve Jobs and Cupertino is taking off the top, but I like developers that have a heart and Autism is definitely a great cause to support.  So I really applaud what they are doing.

Game play is simple – frustratingly simple, in fact.  You pull back the hook and swing it at the totem pole.  But don’t confuse simple controls with easy.  I found this game to be very challenging.  It is hard to get too angry or frustrated though because of the wonderful calipso island music that is the sound tract for the game.  It really does give you the feel of being on an island vacation.

If you like a simple game that is perfect for those couple of spare minutes of game play, and you want to support a really good cause, I’d suggest trying out this title.

Gobliiins is a brand new $0.99  puzzle adventure title that is best described by the words “whimsical” and “delightful”.  The game comprises 22 levels of puzzles where you have do a series of tasks – in the right order – and using the right goblin to do so.

Your adventure takes place by using one of three different characters.  Instead of a lot of games where you pick you character to play the whole game, in this one, you actually play each level with all three characters.  First, there is Dwayne, the “jock” of the group who things the solution to any problem is a little brute force.  Bobo, the nerd of the group, is the technician.  If it can’t be man-handled (or I guess it would be goblin-handled”, or “zapped”, Bobo is your guy.  And, speaking of “zapping”, your trio of goblin amigos is rounded out by Hooter.  Hooter is the magician or mage of the group.  He uses his wand on items and can convert it into something else.

The graphics, music, and sound effects on this game are top quality and have separate adjustable volume controls (not just off/on) for each.  The game not only comes with a lot of help available from the menu, but each level has a series of hints.  These not only help in determining the goal of the level (or what the goal isn’t), but if you get really stuck, will actually tell you how to complete the level.  Game play can be done via touch controls or cursor.  It is very intuitive though.

I did have one issue with the game.  Not sure if it was user error or not as it was in the first level as I was still figuring things out.  Not to give too much away, I was supposed to do something with Hooter, used Bobo instead, and then when I tried to go back and have Hooter do his magic, I couldn’t get anything to happen.  Exiting the game and re-starting the level (this time knowing what to do), solved the issue however.

I do have a suggestion for the game that I think would make it a bit more user-friendly.  It is difficult for me to tell Dwayne, Bobo, and Hooter apart.  I wish they wore different color vests or hats or something and, when rotating through their selection with the icon in the bottom of the screen, they would wave or jump or something to help indicate which one you had selected.  Even a little sound effect (I’m thinking of the voices on Command and Conquer for example) for each one as you tapped the goblin-selector would fit right in with the fun nature of the game.  And, while there are facial differences in the icon used to select your character, something a bit more obvious would be beneficial.

Overall, I’d probably give this title a 9 out of 10.  It’s fun.  It’s different.  It’s delightful.  And it’s a real bargain at a buck.  If you like the old point-and-click adventures from the era of the the old Sierra games, you’ll really like this little jewel that is both amusing and attractive.  I look forward to seeing what updates and possibly additional levels are in store for this title.

Shoot To Kill surprised me on a couple of fronts.  First, this arcade shooter was a lot more entertaining than I anticipated.  I’m usually more of a puzzle game lover than an arcade game where shooting demons is the goal, but this one really was addictive (as the subtitle reflects) and really got my anxiety and blood pressure up.  I got “into” it in a way that I didn’t really expect.

The second thing that surprised me is the $0.99 price on this title.  I generally don’t pay attention to the price of a title until after I check it out.  And, on many occasions, I have not been bashful about suggesting a lower one.  After playing this title though, I thought a $1.99 price would have been real reasonable for the title.  The fact that it actually comes in at half of that makes it twice the bargain!

The premise of Shoot To Kill is simple.  You are in the center of the screen and defend yourself with an arsenal of weapons against a hoard of oncoming enemies.  As the levels progress, you end up with multiple enemies that each have particular weapons that work best against them.  Your ultimate goal is to survive as long as possible with your three lives.  The difficulty of this goal though is something that seems very well balanced.  Even as a newbie, I got satisfyingly far.  The reason for this is that they don’t try to make the game overly complex with a lot of different controls.  You can quickly tilt the iPhone for reloading your weapon and tap on your enemies to aim/shoot with the single gesture.  An occasional tap in the bottom left corner, something my inept left hand had no problem with, lets you select your alternate weapon over your default one.

Coming in at 30+ levels, 5 different weapons, 14 different types of demons, 13 achievements, multi-player over bluetooth and six other game modes, there is enough here to entertain anyone no matter how familiar they are with this genre of game.  And, if you get bored, just select one of the four different difficulties in the survival mode.

Overall, I found the game to be very enjoyable.  Both iPhone and iPad versions are available and free versions.  You can see a YouTube trailer to get an idea of the quality of the graphics and how the game is played.  But, in the couple of minutes it will take to watch it, just go ahead and download the free version and take it for a spin.  You may, just like me, be in for a surprise.

My Brute is a $4.99 title in the App Store that really reminds me of my son’s fascination with Pokemon Cards.  In My Brute, you create, customize, and train a competitor and fight an opponent.  As you do so, you take advantage of social elements (reminding me of a Facebook game) where you can have folks join your dojo training center.  It is more than collecting friends though as you can pick up skills from those that join you in your training.  Along with the social element, there is also a real-time element to the game.  You are only allowed a limited number of bouts per day.  These bouts are against other people’s “brutes” that they have been training.  This encourages you to practice though, and it it through this practice that you gain skill. And, to make things more interesting, you are allowed to create up to eight different customized “brutes” in your dojo.  This, in effect, allows you 40 bouts per day.

In total, there are 70 different skills and weapons to master and 8 different arenas.  And, when you start up your dojo, you can select one of three different styles to concentrate on.  With all the different brutes you can create, joining other’s dojos, and having them join yours, there is a lot of surprising depth in this game.

One issue with the game is in selecting a character name.  I don’t know how many total characters are in the Brute universe of dojos, but character names have to be unique.  Sometimes finding a unique one takes longer than all the setup and configuration of the character.  It would be nice if, based on your location and dojo name and so forth, the game could maybe offer you some suggestions.  My biggest issue however was in actually figuring out what to do.  It would be great if there was a tutorial walk-through or something that would help get you started.  For those of us that never played the internet version, it can be a bit overwhelming and confusing.

Aqua Pearls is an arcade game similar to Zuma or Cronk or Luxor.  This one is has an underwater theme, but the game play is familiar and comfortable.  The $2.99 title has a lot to offer.  It has three different difficulty levels, four game modes, and forty levels.  The game is easy to learn.  You shoot different color “pearls” into an oncoming stream of them and try to match three or more of the same color.

Overall, this game was satisfying, but didn’t really wow me.  At a $2.99 price point, I would have liked for there to be something really special to justify that.  The graphics and sound are nice, but as there are other titles of this genre out there, I couldn’t find anything that really set this one apart.  I think the game would make a great $1 or $2 introduction game to the other G5 games like a current favorite, Virtual City.