1st Impressions

I’m probably one of the few reviewers of iOS games that hasn’t played Angry Birds. Considering how long it has been on the top of the sales charts, I may be the only one with an iPhone to have never played it. But, after recommendations from multiple people, I decided to give Angry Birds Halloween a whirl a week before the holiday and see what all the hoopla was about. And boy am I glad I did.

Angry Birds Halloween is a $0.99 sequel to the grossly popular Angry Birds franchise. Published by Chillingo, this title has been everywhere. It is on multiple platforms and there is even talk of plush toys and movies. And for good reason. The Halloween sequel to Angry Birds has 45 levels exclusive to the iOS platform that have a decidedly spooky theme to them. At its core, the Angry Birds game play is reminiscent of the old games where you shoot cannons or missiles at a target by determining the correct trajectory. In this case though, you are shooting birds (seven types) from a fixed slingshot at a construction containing pumpkins and pigs. Once your “bird” hits the target, physics takes over and angle and force of impact come into play to hopefully collapse it. The different bird types act different ways. For example, tapping the screen somewhere between the launch and impact of the bird will make it split into multiple projectiles, speed up, or even explode. Destroying all the pumpkins before you run out of “ammo”, and doing it with the least number of shots possible, finishes the level and determines your score. There is a nice trailer for the game on YouTube that will show you a good teaser for the overall experience.

It is hard to put my finger on exactly what makes this little game so enjoyable. I’d have to say it is a combination of great graphics, great sound effects, simple game play, and fulfilling sense of destruction. The game definitely gets five-stars from me and makes me run right out and purchase the regular Angry Birds title….if I had the self control to put the game down long enough to go to the app store. LOL

Have you seen any of those pictures or posters that turn usually fun and childish clowns into something evil and demented?  That is what came to my mind while playing Naughty Bear.  This game is a hack and slash game usually reserved for something like a zombie killer but set in the context of  very whimsical and light-hearted graphics of teddy bears.  It works in a way that I find quite delightful.  Must have a twisted sense of humor. LOL

Coming in at a $2.99 price (there is a free light version available), Naughty Bear is played by an evil brown teddy bear that is getting back at all of the other bears that didn’t let him play in the typical reindeer games, so to speak, in a Rudolf gone postal kind of way.  The different color bears that he is up against have different strengths.   and weaknesses.  All though can be overcome with the proper amount of patience and attack strategy.  These strategies include traps, clubs, knives, and other items.  All told, there are seven different bear types and three different times of day that can be played.  The game also incorporates both story mode and arcade mode, along with leaderboards to compare your bear-bashing expertise with that of others.

All in all, the game concept and game play are fun and a great way to work out some stress.  The price point is a bit high for me, but overall it is a fun game and I think people will get a great deal of pleasure with it.

Heroes of Kalevala is an unusual game and a port of a game available on other platforms.  Think of it as a cross between a simulation game like Virtual Villagers combined with a match-three game like Bejeweled.  The music and graphics, as the YouTube trailer shows, are of high quality.  The coins that you earn playing the match-three game can be used to purchase items in the village-building part of the game.

At $2.99 (the iPad version is $4.99), the game consists of 8 different heroes to choose from in order to lead your village through the 140 levels.  The story line though isn’t just mission based though.  Once you complete the game, you can continue to play to build your village even further.

While the game play on the match-three part of the game was simple, I really appreciate some of the game elements that were added.  Your goal to complete a level is to match up groups so that the background of all the different matches in the game turn to the same color.  In other words, it isn’t just pieces that you are matching up, but you are also trying to make sure that the locations of all the pieces ultimately are involved in a match-up.  This is aided by bombs and other power-ups that you are awarded as you play the game.

If I could make two suggestions for the game, it would be to possibly drop the price down to the $1.99 price point, which would make it a much better bargain and better competition to the free and $1 games out there, and that the items that you match in the match-three part of the game were tied a little bit better to the other part of the game.  There were times that I thought there was a disconnect between the graphics used on the two different parts of the game that made it seem more like two different games than two components of the same game.  This is a small thing, but I also wish the text on the story screens appeared immediately on each screen and not half-way through the voice-over that was reading the story lines.

Blue Defense: Second Wave is a wonderful sequel by the same folks that brought us Blue Attack, Blue Defense, and Red Conquest.  I’m not a huge fan of arcade type games as they generally require quick thought and reactions.  While game play on this game is quick, the controls are so simple that you don’t have to think a whole lot about it…just react.

The game concept if fairly straightforward and simple.  You are a blue planet under attack.  Your job is to shoot down the attackers.  As soon as the level starts, the shooting starts up automatically.  It is this auto-fire part of the game play that makes it something that I can enjoy.  All the user has to do is to aim the “fire” at the attacking hoards.  This can be done both via tilt controls and by touching the screen.

The $1.99 game boasts a whopping 64 levels, 24 different enemy types, and multiple game modes that combine to give you 74 mode-based leaderboards.  On top of that, there are over 200 medals to obtain.  The graphics are retina-quality and the game is very responsive to both the tilting and touch controls – even when you are using them simultaneously.  In short, it is a quality product at a very reasonable price.  I was so impressed with it in, in fact, that it is the first arcade shooter game to ever make my Must-Have list.  If I were going to recommend an arcade shooter for the iOS platform, Blue Defense: Second Wave would be it.

Other than having married a living zombie on the 14th of this month (and I would ask that no one forward this to my wife …) the one day of each year that is most known for zombies and the undead would be October 31st, Halloween.

Just in time for you to spend a month slaughtering Slovene zombies you want for less than the cost of a cup coffee you get not one but ten separate zombie games including:

Zombie Invasion — Conniption Entertainment
Defcon Z — Monkey Armada
Draw Slasher: Dark Ninja vs. Pirate Monkey Zombies — Mass Creation
Zombie Saw — L*U*K*E
Zombie Pizza — Appy Entertainment
Zombie Nombie — Smudgy Games
Apocalypse Zombie Fish — The Binary Mill
Zombie Karts — Cascadia Games
Zombie Apocalypse Manual — PALIANTech
Zombie Whale Hole — Cervo e.U.

As you can see, what makes this so interesting is not just that you get all ten games for a dollar but, if you look carefully, these games are from different developers and yet Appy Entertainment was not only able to get all the developers to agree in this “boxed set edition” concept for zombie games but was able to come up with a launcher application that would launch them upon command.

if you like running around and blasting the living dead then you won’t find a better value then this box full of mayhem.

I have just a touch of OCD in a couple of areas. The biggest one has to be with punctuality which probably accounts for the dozen different clock and alarm apps that I have purchased and tried out.

About three weeks ago I found what I thought was the perfect alarm application – an application called Nightstand Weather Clock. (http://www.1stImpressions.mobi/2010/09/08/nightstand-weather-clock/)

Well, for those if you that followed my advice and purchased it I have some good news and some bad news. the bad news is that Nightstand Central ( actually listed as “Nightstand Central – Music Alarm Clock with Weather, Sleep Timer, and Flashlight” in the iTunes Store) is a far better app then original Nightstand Weather Clock. The good news is that it is basically an upgrade (and a free one at that) to the old app that was so big that it came with a name change.

Still listed for only $0.99 in the iTunes store, there have been numerous upgrades to the old app including 20 beautiful backgrounds (with the ability to add your own) and a timer which will allow you to swap them on a regular basis.

As well as keeping the flashlight when you shake your phone the new app also adds a sleep timer which will not only allow you to set a timer and listen to over a dozen different internal sounds (although I have to admit that some are better used as alarm sounds) but also music including complete playlists for as long as you have the timer set for.

Another huge improvement has to do with the alarms. You not only have the option of fading in the alarms over various periods of time but you can also add a push alarm that will work even if the app is not running.

Now for the first time, you can also listen to music from other sources such as Pandora or other online music streaming services. This was a big improvement for me.

As with the old app, this one also displays a “widget” that not only contains the time and weather info but the update contains the ability to not only resize but also relocate the widget to virtually anywhere on the screen that you like simply by tapping on it with two fingers. The brightness is also adjustable simply by swiping your finger up and down the screen.

When it comes to the weather icon, tapping on it will provide you the forecast for the next 36 hours.

If I haven’t already talked you into spending less than a buck for an app that I literally use at least 22 hours a day then there is a free version that provides most a taste of some of these features as well as some advertisements that can be eliminated for the low low price of $0.99. Did I forget to mention that the price is less then a dollar? LOL

If all this wasn’t enough, the developers are extremely responsive to any inquiry whether it be suggestions or bug reports. I, for example, have asked about a couple of issues and have been assured that an update has already been submitted to Apple that will take care of some of these issues both with the iPhone as well as the iPad.

I have reviewed dozens of apps and have yet to find one that I would recommend higher then this one. Anyone that knows me knows that that is high praise indeed.

Seed 2, the sequel to Chilingo’s Seed 1: Rise of Darkness, is exactly what you would expect from Chillinglo – the highest quality of graphics, sound, and game play. Having not played Seed 1, it will be difficult for me to do a comparison of the two, but I can tell you about the sequel.

Seed 2 is a classic very full featured top down RPG. you play the part of Litta and the story line takes approximately 5 years after her heroic adventures in Seed 1.

As with many of the top notch RPGs, Seed 2, allows you to upgrade your attributes as you go, givebacks you to gain enough strength, dexterity, etc. In addition you can choose a character path of swordplay, firearms, or magic.

Along the way you encounter NPCs (non player characters for you newbies) that will give you small quests to complete. Don’t ignore what might seem like distractions to your primary quest as these seemingly annoying side quests are where you can gain valuable experience points which will give you better odds when it comes to fighting those more powerful than you are.

One of the things that really impressed me about this game when compared to others of the same genre are the small thing that I have yet to experience in an iPhone RPG like the effect that weather changes will have on the game. While that might seem like a small thing, it is something that makes the game more realistic. Of course I have learned to expect nothing but the very best if Chillingo has put their name one it.

Seed 2 is currently available for $3.99 from the app store but, if think that price is a little high, keep an eye on it with with an app such as appshopper because you can occasionally catch it at half price like I did.

Don’t let the educational nature of this $0.99 game fool you. It is both addictive and fun to play. The premise is simple. Correctly answer questions about the 50 US states. You are given the states if you are correct. Stack them until you reach the designated height and you will be rewarded with a state to put on your map.

This is much easier said than done though. Odd shaped states are difficult to stack. And small states require more answers to get your stack built. Stacking is facilitated by being able to rotate and set the position and height of the state before trying to drop it on your stack though. If the gravity and physics effects are with you, the pieces won’t fall off and be wasted.

Questions about the states include recognizing their shape, what borders them, their capital, and so forth. If you guess wrong, the correct answer is displayed. This means that even if you loose, you still learn something.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this little game. If you or your children have an interest in US geography or are taking it in school, I highly recommend this entertaining learning tool.

GroupMe is an incredible new service for group text messages.  And now it has a brand new iPhone app.  Don’t be confused with that $1 app with a similar name.  This service and app is FREE.  If you haven’t checked out this free service, it basically sets up a free SMS chat room or mailing list.  Any text message sent to the number you are given is sent to everyone on the group list.  You can add people to the list, delete them, name yourself, or rename the group topic with easy commands.  You can even call the number and set up a group conference call.

The web site for the service reflects its alpha status though.  As yet, there is no real way to manage the lists you are on.  That is where the free iPhone app comes in.  Once you install it, you “register” it with a text to a supplied number.  It comes up with a list of all the groups you are members of.  You can select the group and see the names and numbers of all the group members.  The app also includes a help file with all the commands and an option to add your group numbers to your contact list.

If I could add a suggestion to the developers, I’d love the ability to select a group member and be given an option to add them to your contacts, text them, or call them.  I’d also love to see the ability to see chat history posted to the group.  As fast as the developers are working though, I expect those kinds of things in a future release.

If you haven’t tried GroupMe, you really need to give it a shot.  It works great in small family groups.

If you are a fan of routin’ tootin’ shoot-’em up games like Minigore, another fan favorite from Chillingo then you will fall in love with Pirate’s Treasure.

There are a few things that I really like about the game and a couple of suggestions that I would like to make.

First of all, the thing I liked the best is the fact hat this game seems to be a RPG, a dungeon crawler, a treasure hunt, and a “shoot everything that moves” game all rolled into one.

As with many other similar games this one uses dual thumb pads to control your little pirate. The left one controlled your movement and the right one fires your trusty musket.

As the game starts you are on a path with one open cave and another 3-4 closed ones that I assume are of increasing difficulty. These are unlocked one at a time as you complete each level There is a rickety bridge to the left of the screen that may open up even other levels but I am unsure because I haven’t managed to get that far into the game.

You see, despite the fact that I was playing on the easy level, there are much more to fight other than small bumble bees or other creatures. they are just an annoyance to keep you busy until this giant Grim Reaper comes and kills you. From the description in the iTunes store I am led to believe that the “big boss” on the more difficult levels are large enough that you can’t even see the entire thing on your screen.

What makes this game the most enjoyable are the beautiful 3D graphics and catchy soundtrack. Coming from Chillingo, however, I wouldn’t expect anything less.

The only suggestion I can make is for Chillingo to male a training mode or make the easy mode a little easier for old guys like me.

Right now, to celebrate a recent upgrade, you can purchase the game at half price for only $0.99. if you like these type games then I would snatch this up before the sale ends.