[08.4.15] Review: ‘SongPop 2’

FreshPlanet

SongPop 2

Rating:

5 Stars

The original “SongPop” came onto the scene back in 2012 and took the mobile gaming world – as well as Facebook – by storm. Capitalizing on the “Name That Tune™” formula, it was difficult to imagine that anything could go wrong. That is not to say that it did not have its quirks but, then again, nothing is perfect. If success proves anything, it proves that “SongPop” was a fantastic title that people just could not get enough of it. So when the announcement came in mid-February that FreshPlanet was working on a sequel, it did not come as too much of a surprise. However, it did leave the question of: “What exactly could be done to improve the formula?” As it turns out, “Song Pop 2” could be a pretty fantastic answer to that question.

The Fun Stuff:

Everyone loves the “Name That Tune™” gameplay. Whether it be watching one of the incarnations of the television show that spanned nearly half a decade, the rare arcade game, board game, or even just playing with your friends. “SongPop” let you put that game in your pocket and take it anywhere you wanted to go. You could challenge friends via Facebook or even play strangers. It had a lot of popular songs from a wide variety of genres, allowing the music collection to appeal to a diverse audience. All in all, it was a great experience.

“SongPop 2” only builds upon that further by expanding its already massive collection to a staggering 100,000 songs. Better yet, veterans from the original title can carry over the playlists they have purchased and use them in the new game. That is what we like to call “Fan Service 101.” The music library continues to expand with weekly updates ranging from artist-specific playlists to top R&B songs of the 1990s, all of which can be purchased with in-game currency. This means you are not penalized if you do not want to shell out some extra cash.

The standard styles of play have returned and function as expected; but a new Party Mode has been added to the mix. Party Mode is kind of liking playing a standard round of the game, except you are playing against the entire world at the same time. After you finish the ten question quiz, your score gets posted on the weekly leaderboards where you can earn rewards and fight for the top spot. Also, playing daily earns you rewards – including free playlists. You get more game content free just for playing the game. If you feel like your skills are not up to par yet, you can always utilize the new Practice Mode. Practice mode allows you to sharpen your skills while playing against the computer. It also provides an excellent opportunity to brush up on the music collection.

The one thing that did receive a major overhaul is the graphics. Richard Perez, a highly acclaimed author and illustrator who has worked with the likes of Pinterest and Coca-Cola, put his signature style on the game. You may not recognize him by name, but you will instantly recognize his iconic look that every project he has his hands in receives. From top to bottom, the game is adorable, and Perez compliments the game’s addictive and fun gameplay with a perfect presentation.

It also seems safe to assume a lot of behind-the-scenes work has been done to ensure a smoother operation across the board. Most of it cannot and will not be witnessed by players. There is, however, one very subtle, yet very noticeable change that is the perfect cherry on top of this perfectly wrapped-up-game-package of an ice cream sundae. In the original “SongPop,” while taking your music quizzes, the song would start playing, and your four multiple choice options would pop on screen for you to make a choice. At face value, nothing sounds wrong there. The problem is, every once-in-a-while, you would have a bit of lag and this would delay or inhibit your choice. Regardless of the cause, that delay is frustrating in a game with a scoring system centralizing on how quickly you can answer a question. To solve this problem, FreshPlanet has made it, so the song choices pop up just a split second before your audio clue starts playing. This allows for even faster reaction times as you have already had a brief opportunity to survey your options. Now, the original “Song Pop” had already received this tweak, and it is a tiny change, but it has a massive impact that creates a lot of satisfaction while playing.

The Frustrating Stuff:

“SongPop 2” had the advantage of being built from an already solid base product. Sometimes, screws can get loose while you are making an upgrade. Fortunately, that is not the case in the event of this sequel. Structurally speaking, “SongPop 2” is solid and glitches, bugs, or force-close errors are never an issue. The game does have some faults, though.

It has come to be expected with any modern mobile game, but the constant nagging for social media integration is tiresome. While I have no qualms connecting my Facebook account to find people to play with, there are many people out there who just don’t want to do it. Asking them over and over and over again to do it will not solve the problem – it just makes them want to stop playing your game. It is fine to ask, but perhaps add the option to silence and remove those prompts at some point?

It is awesome that “SongPop” and “SongPop 2” are free-to-play. Unfortunately, the sequel takes a step back when it comes to the paid version of the game. With the original title, you can download and play the game entirely for free. If you want, you can buy coins with real world money which you can then use to get more playlists or power-ups, and that is fine.

Then there is the VIP Status. For the original “SongPop,” VIP Status: removes advertisements, bumps your simultaneous game limit to 100 games (unlimited for Facebook friends), gives you longer audio clips, higher sound quality, allows you to challenge from any profile, and see your “best match” (based off of playlist mastering) profiles’ pictures. For “SongPop 2,” you also receive unlimited chat, unlimited “best matches,” the ability to challenge your friends’ friends for free, and the ability to use a power up to challenge on any playlist. Between the two games, it is kind of like a… premium music service and music-based dating app rolled into one. This will cost you $1.99 per week, $4.99 per month, $12.99 for three months (“SongPop 2” only), or $39.99 annually. Now, to be fair, that is about ¼ the price of an annual subscription to Apple Music, Zune / Xbox Music / Groove, Google Play Music, or Spotify Premium. That being said, you can also listen to whatever you want, whenever you want with one of those streaming services. Having a subscription service for those things just really doesn’t make sense. Then again, dedicated players will buy it, so it does make sense from a business standpoint. However, the free version of “SongPop” was complimented by “SongPop Plus” which gave you all of those features, minus the profile picture, at the cost of a one-time, $1.99 purchase. “SongPop 2” does not have a comparable option, and that is too bad. But hey, they have instigated four weddings!

One huge missed opportunity is with the power-up system. This carried over from the original title and, sadly, stayed exactly the same. There is but one lone power up for the standard single-player experience. While playing, you have the option to remove two of the choices, resulting in a 50-50 chance. With the addition of Party Mode, it received its own set of power-ups; however, there are still only two from which to choose. You can receive a score boost for answering correctly within 3 seconds or receive an overall XP boost for your match.

These options are not terrible, but it would have been nice to see some more creativity across the board. Adding the score boost power up for speedy answers seems like a no-brainer for the standard single player experience. It might need to be tweaked slightly to keep the game balanced, but it does not seem far-fetched. Why stop there? Perhaps receiving a sneak peek at your answer choices for each question could be negotiated via power-ups. If you find yourself in a playlist you do not know as well, give yourself a slight edge by getting a one-second sneak peek at the audio clue before the scoring system engages. You could throw down a bulk of power-ups to overrule a playlist selection, give yourself the chance to put in two guesses for each question, slow down the song clips and timer to receive a give-and-take style power up, or even fire back at an opponent by distorting their audio or distracting them with a live-audience style feedback applied to the music. The possibilities are endless! You could even offer an additional “game mode” by having a vanilla no-power-up match alongside the all-out gauntlet of power-up-infused gameplay.

Bottom Line:

“SongPop 2” is the perfect example of a sequel done right. You do not always need to be revolutionary; sometimes you just need to focus on what you have going for you and refine that. Then, your product moves from what you actually released to what you had originally envisioned. While it suffers the same bane of micro-transactions that many other games have succumbed to; it is hard to blame any developer for participating in a trend that is becoming almost necessary for survival. Still, they are completely optional and don’t harm or hinder those who wish to avoid them. “SongPop 2” does not have anything “game-breaking” and, while it does have some minor faults, it is nothing that could not be tweaked with future updates. Even if it does not change at all, it will still be a must-have app for music and game show lovers everywhere.

“SongPop 2” was developed by FreshPlanet. It was released in North America on July 16 for free to iOS with plans for Facebook and Android versions coming at a later date. This review was based on a copy of the game downloaded on the release date.

[07.01.15] ‘SongPop 2’ launching July 16

FreshPlanet

Editor's Note: Shortly after this article was originally published on July 1, FreshPlanet made the decision to push back the release date. "SongPop 2" is being moved from a July 9 launch to a July 16 launch date. The article has been updated accordingly.

After originally revealing plans for a sequel to “SongPop” back in mid-February, mobile games publisher FreshPlanet announced yesterday, June 30, the official launch date for “SongPop 2” along with finalizing some exciting details. “SongPop 2” will continue with the popular head-to-head “Name That Tune™” gameplay style while adding in its own twists. The game will also be free to play with the option of in-app purchases to add supplementary content.

“SongPop 2” will have a catalog featuring over one hundred thousand tracks, ranging from modern hits to established classics. This includes a thousand individually curated playlists, which will be followed up consistently with weekly installments of 200 songs each. Within the game, each playlist can also be uniquely customized for each player’s preferences upon startup.

To add some excitement to the new title, “SongPop 2” features a Party Mode to provide an all-new social single-player experience. Users will compete in a ten-question quiz for a top spot on the global leaderboards. The top players will receive prizes, along with bragging rights, for their successes in the Party Mode challenge.

Helping keep things fresh, “SongPop 2” also features a complete graphics overhaul. Acclaimed illustrator and author, Richard Perez, was brought in to add his signature style to the game. It’s a bright and colorful, quirky and cartoonish design which really makes things pop. His style is visible in everything from the logo to the leaderboards and its cuteness will surely keep you enthralled for hours, as if the addictive song trivia wasn’t enough already.

Last, but certainly not least, FreshPlanet has confirmed backwards compatibility for all legacy gamers. This rewards returning users for their time on the musical battlefields of the first title while helping bolster the already massive song library with a few more tracks. All that players need to do is sync their accounts from “SongPop” and they will find all unlocked and purchased playlists waiting for them.

Mathieu Nouzareth, CEO of Fresh Planet had this to say about the launch:

“’SongPop 2’ was made with our community in mind. We created a bigger, louder and better SongPop experience that lets players enjoy the musical quiz fun on their own or with their friends – plus a slew of brand new features to fit each user’s own musical tastes.”

“SongPop 2” will be available July 16 only on iOS, with plans for an Android and Facebook Canvas version coming very soon. You can check out the official trailer here.

[03.29.15] Review - ‘Cooking Fever’

Nordcurrent

Cooking Fever

Rating:

3 Stars

It has been a very long time since I've reviewed a game; although, I’m not entirely sure that this is even a review, a public service announcement, a blog, or what. I stopped writing reviews on principle. I don’t really believe most of what is put out is “bad,” and you can see that based off of the review scores I would attach to my early reviews. A lot of gamers and developers have gone a long way to argue that video games are art, and – assuming that is so – art is a subjective matter. So if these games are going to be viewed as art, then quality is really in the eye of the creator. That’s not to say that things can’t be bad, but very few things, at least until this past year, are released completely broken. In reality, it all comes down to a difference in opinions on what people find fun, and I respect that. Just because I don’t particularly enjoy MMORPG’s doesn't instantly make all of them bad. I think there’s pleasure to be found in most any game, evidenced by my review of “Duke Nukem Forever” which was absolutely obliterated by other reviewers everywhere. “Duke Nukem Forever” might be an extreme example, but sets an important precedence. Sometimes things don’t meet expectations, other times they just might be of very little interest to you, but neither of these things make a game terrible.

In the current day where studios pump out annual titles which all try to match the financial success of “Call of Duty,” there has spawned a belief that every title released has to be the number one seller or it’s a piece of garbage. Despite the iconic words of Ricky Bobby, there is – in fact – a whole spectrum of bad to good in which things can land. Companies gauge their success on Metacritic scores, but most review sites treat a scale of 1 to 10 as a scale of 1 or 10. That’s why I dropped the scoring system in favor of simply explaining what I enjoyed and what I didn't enjoy. That same belief is what later led me to drop reviews overall. Really, what authority am I on what you think is fun? We may have similar tastes, but I would rather you experience it for yourself and make your own decision. If you’re interested in knowing what games I do like (I’m flattered, and thank you for reading!), I generally prefer to cover the things that interest me. If I don’t like it, I probably won’t talk about it as much, and what better endorsement is there than free advertising?

Enough about me, though. The reason I’m writing all of this is because of a recent experience I had with a game which was an absolute blast, until it destroyed its own experience for me. There is a parasite that has infected the gaming industry to the frightening extent in which we’ve come to accept that this is “just how things are now.” Micro-transactions have infiltrated every kind of game and have hurt or even completely destroyed many promising titles. Obviously, from a financial standpoint, micro-transactions offer unmatched benefits, but at what cost? Some games can pull it off, such as “Grand Theft Auto V.” The micro-transactions are there, but they are unobtrusive and have minimal effect on those who chose not to use them. Other games are playable, such as “Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time,” but created a very frustrating environment where you’re constantly pestered and feel penalized if you don’t buy in. Then there are games, such as the one I’m reviewing, which essentially render themselves useless you shell out some cash.

The jarring end to my playtime in “Cooking Fever” is what ultimately inspired me to write this review. I was so disappointed that I was barred from progressing through the game without grinding tirelessly or shelling out some cash. I would have happily spent a few dollars to purchase this game or even put up with intermittent advertisements since the game was a free download. What I refuse to do, however, is pay into this unhealthy ecosystem created by micro-transactions, just so I can continue to play this one game. There are other experiences out there which I would rather spend my time on, and this is why my time with “Cooking Fever” has come to an end. This is why I’m writing my first (and possibly last) review in years.

The Fun Stuff:

“Cooking Fever” follows a similar formula to the one perfected by “Diner Dash.” Serve customers, do it correctly, and do it quickly. In return, you earn some money, customize or upgrade your restaurant, then do it some more. “Cooking Fever” takes it one step further by packing in multiple restaurants with many different foods to serve while negating the seating of the customers and color matching in favor of the actual assembly of their orders. You can then upgrade your kitchen, your restaurant, and eventually buy additional restaurants to get new levels.

When you begin each restaurant, you start with simple orders. As you beat levels, you gain additional dishes to serve or different toppings and sides for the foods, such as lettuce and tomatoes for burgers, bowls of rice and soup, or fruit toppings for cakes. Meals become more complex and the number of orders increases as well. You also unlock the ability to upgrade your food and ingredients. Eventually, it becomes necessary to upgrade your food as well as your restaurant in order to earn enough money to 3-star levels, as it uses the same grading system popularized in “Angry Birds.” As you beat levels, you earn XP which allow you to level up, earn bonuses, and unlock additional restaurants. Customization is always a nice touch, so letting you pick and choose which restaurants you want to play, as well as customize your interior and kitchen via upgrades, is fantastic.

“Cooking Fever” is also very pretty, with a detailed-yet-cartoony graphic palette, reminiscent of early “Roller Coaster Tycoon” games. The restaurant environments are fun and feel like they belong in a Saturday morning cartoon. The foods themselves actually look delicious and make you want to go out and buy something similar in real life. Menus are laid out nicely, are easy to follow and understand, but are just on the verge of packing in too much information.

The Frustrating Stuff:

This style of game benefits greatly from a touch screen control scheme. On a 5” screen, however, it can be rather problematic at times. The game looks pretty, but over half of the screen real-estate is wasted on displaying the backdrop, customers, and their orders. This severely limits the playable area and makes everything very cramped. Combine that with opacity of a human finger and you’ll find there’s going to be the occasional misstep combining ingredients, which can’t be undone. It’s not game-breaking by any means, but it’s most definitely frustrating when it happens. If you have the hardware, opt into a tablet experience for this game.

That point may be moot, as there is one glaring issue with this game: the premium currency, or rather, the lack of readily available premium currency. After 3-staring every level in the first restaurant and about half the levels in the second restaurant, my progress came to a grinding halt. Even with virtually perfect runs, I could only 2-star the remaining levels in the restaurant. After burning through all of my gems (premium currency) to upgrade the restaurant and food, I bought every single upgrade possible that only required coins (base currency). Still, I could not earn enough to 3-star a level. There is a casino available in which players can gamble coins in hopes of earning gems, but after spending over 450,000 coins max-bidding at 500 and only winning gems once, I gave up.

The only other way to earn gems was to level up, which would require playing the same levels over and over again numerous times, or to earn them from the daily bonus. Gems, however, were not awarded until the 7th consecutive day played and I was only on my 3rd. The reward is also only 2 gems, and the lowest upgrade cost 10. This means I’m left with three options: hours of grinding, waiting it out for a week and a half, or buying gems. This is where my playtime came to an end, as I lost interest for having to wait days to really be able to play and progress. Perhaps it was so jarring because the game presented itself as a “play at your pace” kind of game and has the “Diner Dash” model, which traditionally would let you play as much or little as you wanted. It also could be because the currency system is set up similar to games like “Tiny Tower,” but completely bars progress instead of just slowing it like in those games. Either way, this is where the game ultimately ruined itself for me.

Bottom Line:

“Cooking Fever” was an absolute blast, while it lasted. As a free download, I highly recommend you pick it up to at least enjoy as much as you can. With the right pacing of upgrades, it might be possible to prevent getting locked up as quickly as I did; however, you will inevitably hit a brick wall at some point. If you so choose, you can always buy gems… although I strongly encourage you to vote with your money and refuse to give in to the temptations. While micro-transactions will never go away, hopefully we can fight this current trend in which they have infiltrated virtually every game released today. While I wholeheartedly believe developers deserve money for the work they have done, I don’t believe it should be paid out in a way that compromises the quality of the game.

“Cooking Fever” was developed by Nordcurrent and is available on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

 

[02.18.15] FreshPlanet reveals plans for ‘SongPop 2’

FreshPlanet

Following the success of popular mobile game “SongPop,” FreshPlanet announced yesterday, Feb 17, they are currently working on the follow-up sequel, “SongPop 2.” The title follows the Name That Tune™ style of gameplay that made the original so loved, but has upgraded the interface and added new content as well. In addition to the visual upgrade, “SongPop 2” will feature new game modes, tens of thousands of new songs, and a new award system. Most importantly, avid players of the first game can sync their accounts and transfer all previously purchased content for use in “SongPop 2.”

FreshPlanet has also committed to updating the game, promising to release a new pack of six playlists every week, free to try, that will include 200 songs each. Any new users will begin with six personalized playlists and can then expand upon their collection with the updates.

The biggest addition to “SongPop 2” is the Party Mode, which allows multiple players to compete in a tournament-style game without the need to wait for other player’s progression. It also allows users to engage with songs outside of their own playlists and it will award prizes – including coins, power-ups, and VIP badges – to the top players.

Mathieu Nouzareth, CEO of FreshPlanet, said:

“We were thrilled to see how many people were playing SongPop over the years. I think of SongPop 2 as a love letter to our community. We listened to their feedback, and now we're using it to design a game that expands on everything they loved about the original - plus a fresh new look and a ton of extra surprises."

Speaking of surprises, FreshPlanet is also working on a rock ‘n’ roll themed spin-off titled, “Rock On – A SongPop Adventure,” which will be an entirely single player experience. Players answer trivia questions to progress through a virtual tour with a band. All of the questions will focus on the greatest hits of the rock ‘n’ roll throughout the years. It will also be an iOS exclusive title.

“SongPop 2” will be available in the Apple App Store, Facebook, and Google Play sometime this spring. An exact release date has not been given for either title.

[02.01.15] 'Duke Nukem' making a return on Android

It’s been 19 years since the groundbreaking release of “Duke Nukem 3D” on January 29, 1996; and what a crazy ride it has been. If there’s one thing Duke Nukem fans have, its patience. That is, considering the painstaking release process of the heavily debated and frequently-delayed “Duke Nukem Forever.” Fortunately, with the announcement of the “Duke Nukem 3D: Hail to the King Collection” for Android, fans of The King won’t have to wait quite so long for another title… well, hopefully.

In celebration of the passing anniversary, Voidpoint LLC - comprised of the EDuke32 team and its founder Richard Gobeille – announced the thrilling return of multiple Duke Nukem titles all packaged together in the form of the “Duke Nukem 3D: Hail to the King Collection.” The HD collection, set to release exclusively on Google Play, will feature the original “Duke Nukem 3D” as well as the expansions “Duke it Out in D.C,” “Duke Caribbean: Life’s a Beach,” and “Duke: Nuclear Winter.” Also included will be the 1997 original Nintendo 64 release “Duke Nukem 64” and the PlayStation original “Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown” from the same year.

The team at EDuke32 has worked continuously for the past 10 years to preserve the original design for “Duke Nukem 3D” while simultaneously enhancing the visuals. They formed Voidpoint and acquired the commercial rights to all the original titles, paving the way for “Duke Nukem 3D: Hail to the King Collection.” Voidpoint is a completely independent venture from EDuke32 and aims to publish many more classic games, as well as some original titles, with the same attention to detail that EDuke32 is known for throughout the last decade.

While this collection may be their first release, it looks to be a very impressive package. In addition to bundling the aforementioned games and DLC, the “Hail to the King Collection” will also have a few unique features included as well.

· Never-before available re-release of Nintendo 64 version 'Duke Nukem 64' including redesigned and exclusive levels, censorship, lack of strippers/hookers (if that's your thing), new weapons, and new enemies.

· Never-before available re-release of PlayStation version 'Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown' featuring the exclusive episode 'Plug N' Pray,' new enemies, and Mark ‘TDK’ Knight’s atmospheric soundtrack.

· Kick ass on the go with an all-new touch control scheme, or with Bluetooth, PS3, or Xbox 360 controllers.

· Alternate soundtracks, refined visuals, and more! Duke has never looked so good.

Here’s the catch that will be sure to stir sour memories in any true Duke Nukem fan: There is no hard release date, yet. At the moment, it’s set for a “Q1 2015” release. That gives the team at Voidpoint about 2 months to finish and distribute the final package – or, you know, just 14 years and 10 months to beat the “Duke Nukem Forever” timetable.

[02.08.14] Today is your last chance to download ‘Flappy Bird’

GEARS Studio

Some people just aren’t equipped to handle the spotlight, and it looks like that’s the case for “Flappy Bird” creator Dong Nguyen. According to a Twitter conversation he had with earlier today with Luke Ryan Herbert, Nguyen said he “cannot take this anymore” and intends to take the game down from both Android and iOS marketplaces tomorrow, February 8.

Nguyen insisted “It’s not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore.” When asked if his decision to pull the game had anything to do with the constant scrutinization of his artwork choices, Nguyen responded with “I didn’t directly stole something. It is quite an art thing to do that :-)”

As of right now, Nguyen is adamant that the reason he’s going to remove the game from the market is not because of the success but in spite of it. He’s concerned about the addictiveness and touts that people are “overusing it”. Because of the intoxicating gameplay, “Flappy Bird” will be forever gone tomorrow, so today is your last chance to grab it. Once you download it, it’s yours to keep, but don’t expect any updates or bug fixes. To grab your piece of dissolving gaming history, check out the links below.

iOS

Android

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you!

[11.22.13] Scopely giving away Skee-Ball® Machine to commemorate new app

Scopely

Not even two days out from the Nov 20 launch of Scopely’s newest title, “Skee-Ball Arcade”, the game has reached #1 status in 6 countries. Climbing to the top of both of the “Free Game” and “Free App” categories in the App Store, this marks the fourth game coming out of their network to reach #1 spot. In celebration of the launch, the developers Big Cave Games and Scopely are giving away an actual Skee-Ball machine to one lucky fan.

Skee-Ball is an arcade staple that has been entertaining millions of people for over 100 years, and this isn’t the first time it’s been brought to the mobile platform. So, outside of the fact that it soared to the top of the charts, what makes this particular version so spectacular? It puts a modern spin on the classic attraction by allowing users to play anywhere, anytime, and do it against their friends. It’s also the only app on the market to be officially licensed by the makers of Skee-Ball themselves.

“Skee-Ball Arcade” launched with five uniquely themed machines, including Classic, Galaxy, Basketball, Candy, and Pinball, each with their own set of powerups, such as:

·       Straight Shot - Rocket the ball straight down the lane

·       Lane Changer - Activates all 4x point multipliers on the lanes

·       Cluster Ball - Ball explodes into three more balls for optimal point-scoring

·       Sweet Shot - Activates all 4x point multipliers on all cups

·       Slow Time - Activates a slow-motion camera for maximum ball control

·       Triple Ball - Roll three balls at once for triple scoring

·       Multi Ball - Splits ball for double the score

Each month, Scopely will continue to add new tables and powerups.

Players can compete in daily in-game tournaments and challenge their friends via Facebook, SMS, or match up against a random player from around the world. In addition, anyone who logs into “Skee-Ball Arcade” and plays a game by Jan 17, 2014 will automatically be entered into the sweepstakes for there very own authentic Skee-Ball Machine.

“Skee-Ball Arcade” is available now as a free download on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play|Amazon App Store).

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[11.21.13] Hidden Variable launches sophomore effort, ‘Tic Tactics’

Hidden Variable

Award winning studio Hidden Variable, masterminds behind the mobile hit “Bag It!”, put their own spin on one of the oldest games known to man. Launching today, Nov 21, “Tic Tactics” is the classic game Tic-Tac-Toe raised to a whole new level and it utilizes the infrastructure of the popular “With Friends” series. The idea is to create a relatable yet original game that players over the age of 10 will actually want to partake in. “Tic Tactics” blends instantly-familiar gameplay with strategic, in-depth, turn-based multiplayer all presented in a very modern and sleek interface.

If you know how to play Tic-Tac-Toe, you’re already familiar with the basics of “Tic Tactics”. The twist is that your move determines where your opponent can play next. The game board consists of a 3x3 grid of Tic-Tac-Toe games on which you play traditional Tic-Tac-Toe. The catch is, when you place your move, it now requires your opponent to play their next move on the board that matches the respective location of that move. In other words, if you place your “X” in the bottom left corner of your current Tic-Tac-Toe board, it now mandates that your competition pics one of the possible moves on the Tic-Tac-Toe board that occupies the bottom left corner of the 3x3 grid of Tic-Tac-Toe boards.

“Tic Tactics” has three gameplay options to choose between so you can play how and when you want. The first option is the classic couch multiplayer. Grab a friend, a comfy seat, and select the “Pass and Play” option. Now you can play a quick game all at once while you’re waiting for your food to be served at a restaurant or waiting for your name to be called in the doctor’s office. The second option allows for shorter periods of play over a long period of time. “Random Opponent” does just what you would have guessed – it matches you up with a random opponent online to play at your own pace turn by turn against each other. This works best for playing on your breaks at work or between rounds of “Call of Duty”. The last option takes it to a slightly more personal level and allows you to play online against friends. It does this by linking with your Facebook account and allowing you to choose from your list of friends who also have the game.

“Tic Tactics” is available now on iOS and Android as a free download and is coming soon to Kindle Fire.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[11.09.13] LucasArts and Nimblebit announce ‘Star Wars: Tiny Death Star’

Disney, LucasArts, NimbleBit

Yesterday, Lucas Arts in collaboration with Nimblebit announced their brand new title, “Star Wars: Tiny Death Star”. It’s a spin on their immensely successful 2012 hit, “Tiny Tower”. Fortunately, it’s more than just a reskin. The game has been completely revamped and updated to make it more fun. Your mission is to fully fund the completion of the Death Star by turning it into one gigantic shopping center and leasing out space to Galactic bitizens.

Everything from the menus to the bitizens themselves have been beautifully adorned with a Star Wars theme. Not only are the floors Star Wars themed – such as The Cantina or Rebo’s Karaoke – but there’s an entire new floor type, the Imperial levels, which are built in the basement and used to craft special items. Missions are now a variety of activities assigned to you directly from Emperor Palpatine which range from building specific floor types to taking a look at Holonet, the intergalactic version of BitBook. Upgrading your elevators do more than just increase the speed now. Each new elevator adds a multiplier which applies to the tips received from delivering bitizens to floors. This adds more incentive to taking time away to transport them, especially when you start getting a really tall tower. There’s also chiptune versions of the soundtrack, goofy little 8-bit animated scenes staring your favorite characters to collect, and a whole heap of achievements to unlock through the new Google+ integration.

It’s still suffering from a few bugs, but nothing completely game-breaking. Occasionally elevators get stuck, sounds run in the background, and every time an achievement is unlocked, the game disconnects and has to reload. Thankfully, it’s nothing other than a mild annoyance and a few seconds of lost time. The game is also frequently being updated to squash as many bugs as possible. If you’re a fan of Star Wars or a fan of Nimblebit’s other classics, such as “Pocket Planes”, it’s definitely worth the download.

“Star Wars: Tiny Death Star” is available now as a free download on Android, iOS, Windows 8, and Windows Phone.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[09.27.13] ‘Hill Bill’ now available on Android

Balloon 27

After a successful launch on iOS, Balloon 27 announced yesterday they are bringing their addictive motorcycle game “Hill Bill” to Android. In this quirky motorcycle trick game, Bill takes his third-hand-garage-sale bike and sets out on his adventure to become the world’s greatest motorcycle stunt man. After practicing on his own home made ramps, he hits the road to take on bigger, more shocking, and death-defying stunts. As players progress through the game, they will unlock bigger and better bikes, crazier tricks, and more locations.

To commemorate the Android launch, users will be receiving two free level packs, totaling 20 free levels. There are currently 6 packs available and more are coming, including the upcoming “Vegas” pack which will be made free for users to add to the fun. The “Vegas” pack will include new costumes and some stunning Vegas backdrops featuring some of the city’s most famous locations.

“Hill Bill” is available now on both iOS and Android as a free download. The free “Vegas” level pack will be dropping in a few weeks.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[03.31.13] Review: ‘Pocket Planes’

NimbleBit LLC

In 2012, NimbleBit stole our hearts with the adorable game, “Tiny Tower”. After its immense success, they took the formula and applied to a much larger venue: an airline company. In “Pocket Planes”, instead of managing the day-to-day operations of a tower, you’re in full control of an entire fleet of airplanes. You buy your planes, choose your airport locations, pick your passengers, and schedule your flights. It’s a simple enough process of push some buttons and wait, utilizing the same inherently addicting formula that made “Tiny Tower” a hit; but does the fun carry over when you massively upgrade the scale?

The Fun Stuff:

“Tiny Tower” posed the question, what could possibly be more fun than owning the next Trump Tower? Well, NimbleBit found the answer: having an armada of aircrafts at your disposure! You start small with one or two passenger planes, but as you progress, you can purchase significantly larger planes, and larger airports in distant cities. There’s also the joy of mild customization, choosing each airplane’s call sign, paint scheme, and even the outfit of your pilot. There’s also the option of upgrading both your planes and airports.

Once again, NimbleBit draws from the pristine combination of micromanagement, real-time strategy, and fine-tuned wait times that allow you to play on your own time in small increments. Once again, there’s no requirement to play, but your efforts are increasingly rewarded the more you check back. If you do have a chunk of time to play, you’re not stranded if all your planes are mid-flight. You can follow your planes and collect in-game currency that flies past your airships as an extra reward, however you’re in no way required to participate in this mini-game to be able to play. Enough money is awarded by simply managing flights properly.

The greatest improvement “Pocket Planes” makes is the implementation of the “Flight Crew”. This allows you to join up with other friends who play and fight your way up the leaderboards to earn prizes that range from more in-game currency to full on planes. There’s also a new marketplace feature where you can purchase planes or just parts of planes to construct them yourself. Buying a plane piece by piece takes longer, as not all pieces are available at all times, however if you win a piece during a competition (which run every few days), it allows you to purchase the remainder of the pieces you need, and ultimately, you can get a plane for much cheaper than buying it outright.

The Frustrating Stuff:

The biggest complaint about “Pocket Planes” comes from its greatest asset: the Flight Crews. While their implementation goes a long way to extend the life of the game, it also adds an unparalleled level of frustration. There’s no rules or restrictions to who can join flight crews, which means anybody can join up with anybody, which allows for the creation of one “master crew” who always wins. In fact, that’s not just a possibility, but the reality thanks to the online community at TouchArcade. The members there banded together to create the largest flight crew in “Pocket Planes” by a long shot, with which they dominate the competition day in and day out. While the collaboration is awesome, the problem comes from the lack of restrictions granting anyone access to the flight crew. That privilege is abused and many with no connection to the community have latched on purely to reap the rewards. Because of this, the glamor of climbing the leaderboards wears off significantly faster.

The excitement wears off quick too, as the addition of new planes nowhere near matches the excitement of new floors in “Tiny Tower” due to the lack in variety in comparison. To counteract that, there’s more than just realistic planes, which are occasionally given out as rewards. You can collect everything from a starship to a hot air balloon, which are fun, although not as effective as other airplanes available on a regular basis.

Bottom Line:

“Pocket Planes” drastically improved upon the success of “Tiny Tower” and breathed new life into the formula with its exciting improvements. If you were a fan of the latter, it’s highly recommended you give their new game a try, as you’ll delight in the fresh new take. If you have yet to join the millions addicted to this style of game, “Pocket Planes” is a perfect entry point because of its simplicity and entertainment value. No matter where you stand, it’s absolutely worth the download at the appealing price of free.

“Pocket Planes” for iOS

“Pocket Planes” for Android

Pocket Planes was initially developed by NimbleBit LLC and was optimized for Android by Mobage. It was released in North America on June 14, 2012 (iOS) and September 22, 2012 (Android) and is not rated by the ESRB. This review was based on an Android copy of the game.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[08.23.12] ‘Bag It!’ gets second free update packed with content

Hidden Variable

Earlier this year, a little studio by the name of “Hidden Variable” released a masterpiece which could easily be a contender for mobile game of the year. Since then, “Bag It!” has had immense success with an Amazon Free App of the Day promotion and its first free update which introduced us to a new character, Fizzy. The studio is at it again with another free update and sale to celebrate their accomplishment of achieving the 5 million download mark.

This time around, the game is getting a brand new challenge mode themed all around everyone’s favorite pirate watermelon, Seedy! “Seedy’s Booty” is an endless matching mode featuring plenty of power-ups, explosive 3D graphics, and Facebook or GameCenter leaderboards, depending on your platform of choice.

As you race against the clock to match as many groceries as possible, you’ll earn coins which can be spent on new power-ups to help boost your scores. It’s also likely you might have a visit from a sea monster or find a few other pirate-related surprises along the way. After you achieve a dominating high score, you can link with your Facebook profile on Android or the GameCenter on iOS to boast your superiority and rub it in all your friends’ faces!

If you’re not in the boat who have already downloaded the game, or you’ve just restricted yourself to the ‘lite version’, now is the time to take the leap of faith and by the full version. It’s on sale through tomorrow both on Android and iOS. For iPad users, the HD version is $1.99 and for anything Android, the regular version is $0.99 until Friday, Aug. 23 at midnight.

Hold on just a minute though, because there’s a way you can get a copy completely free! That’s right; I’ve got a few promo codes for a select number of lucky individuals. If you want a chance at a free copy of the game, all you have to do is like my Facebook Page. Tomorrow, 5 people will be selected at random to receive a promo code for a completely free copy of Bag It!

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[06.15.12] 'Angry Birds Seasons' update adds new water levels

Rovio

Back in March, Rovio decided to take "Angry Birds" where no birds had dared to go before with the launch of "Angy Birds Space". This month, they're at it again with a free update to the "Angry Birds Seasons" that features a new set of levels and all new under-water physics. It won't cost you anything if you already paid the original $0.99 price tag on the game. All you need to do is head to your favorite app store and download the update. The best part is, it's available now!

"Piglantis" features 30 additional levels which bring in a blend of traditional "Angry Birds" physics mixed with some water physics. The key thing to remember is that all the birds float, so launching them under water has the same effect as pushing a beach ball below the surface. Their arch nemesis, the pigs, tend to act more like rocks. If you knock one into the ocean, they'll sink down to the bottom, and hopefully break.

There aren't any new birds this time around, seeing as it's only a game update and not a standalone title, but there are additional items to destroy to go along with the new physics. If you manage to hit a fish while flying underwater, they will give you some points just like any other environmental object that's destroyed. You can follow the links below to your respective store to purchase or update!

iTunes

Google Play

Amazon AppStore

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you

[05.21.12] All new character and more coming to 'Bag It!'

Hidden Variable

About six months ago, a relatively unknown studio, Hidden Variable, launched their first mobile game to immense success. On May 25, Bag It! is getting a very expansive update, featuring new levels, all-new achievements, new modes, and best of all, a new character.

Meet Fizzy. He’s an adorable little soda bottle who’s a bit of a loner with explosive tendencies. Put him under too much pressure, and next thing you know, you’ll have cola and carbonation all over everything in your grocery bag. Working him into your grocery bag is going to be one of the toughest challenges to date for Bag It! That’s right, harder than fitting Crusteau into a bag upright or finding a safe place for Sir Eggward and Nacho during a game of Ultimate Bagger.

All of this extra effort will be well worth it, though, because for the first time, achievements are being added to Bag It! as in-game achievements on Android or via Apple’s GameCenter. In addition to these achievements will be 16 new levels across the Standard, Rampage, and Puzzle game types. Top it off with 3 revamped Endless Modes and you’ve got yourself one expertly packed bag of content.

If for some reason, everything you’ve seen here hasn’t been enough to convince you to drop some money on this game, you’re not out of luck. Hidden Variable has also released a free ‘Lite’ version of Bag It! which will give you a small 16 level sampling of the full game so you can try it out for yourself. Once you do, you’ll realize that the mere asking price of $1.99 is incredibly generous, especially with all of the new content being added this month.

The expansion will be a free upgrade to the full version of Bag It! and is expected to hit iOS and Android on May 25.

Bag It! Lite (Play Store, Amazon AppStore, iTunes AppStore)

Bag It! Full (Play Store, Amazon AppStore, iTunes AppStore, Barnes & Noble)

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[04.28.12] Review: 'Where’s My Water?'

Creature Feep

Where's My Water?

Rating:

5 Stars

After making quite the splash as the Amazon Free App of the Day back in December of 2011, Where’s My Water? has continued its success since then across both the Android and iPhone platforms. This innovative puzzler, surprisingly from Disney, features well over 250 levels, two separate story lines, and plenty of bonus items to collect. Swampy, our poor alligator protagonist, just simply wants to take a bath to clean up for his love interest Allie; however, the dastardly Cranky has foiled his plans for relaxation and cleanliness by destroying the pipes that deliver water to his tub. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to traverse the sewers and wipe away sand, dirt, or whatever else gets in your way to carefully transport water to Swampy’s living quarters. Don’t forget to pick up some rubber duckies on the way, because everyone knows bath time isn’t complete without a little yellow squeaking companion.

The Fun Stuff:

Puzzle games may be an oversaturated category in the mobile gaming market, but the geniuses at Creature Feep boldly decided to drop the use of word puzzles and forgo flinging animals at each other in favor of a very original and clever game mechanic. Although attempting to utilize the flow of liquids is almost foreign to game design, that concept of understanding the basic physics of the flow of water is something that everyone learns and understands from a very young age. Creature Feep zeroed in on that knowledge and designed a game that’s accessible to almost everyone capable of handling the devices the game is on. You simply drag your finger through dirt to remove portions of it allowing liquid to flow through winding pathways to ultimately land in the severed end of the pipe connecting directly to Swampy’s bathtub. It’s simple, intuitive, and very unique, as is the subject matter of the game.

It’s not too often you hear “adorable” used in the same sentence with “alligators”, but Creature Feep has worked some Disney magic and created a little alligator named Swampy you really care about. It helps that all of the graphics from the game match the typical animated art style from Disney’s repertoire. Between the shower curtain loading screen and the various rubber duckies wearing lab coats, capes, and hats; there is plenty of charm to go around. If collecting things is your favorite, there’s plenty of achievements to unlock throughout the game. Additionally, a la Disney’s The Little Mermaid, there are also plenty of trinkets to collect, with everything from a miniature Statue and an old radio to the basics such as a bar of soap and floss, all of which unlock bonus levels.

These bonus levels have an entirely unique game mechanic, different yet from everything else included in Where’s My Water? Although still affecting the flow of water, it’s now done by rotating your phone around as opposed to letting gravity take its natural course. Although this is never featured later in the game, the normal game mode does have more than just swiping away dirt. There will be switches, moving parts, pipe systems, different liquids to use in various combinations, and even the clever use of steam. All-in-all, there’s plenty to do and enough variety that you’ll never get bored.

The Frustrating Stuff:

In a very abnormal decision Disney and Creature Feep have decided to release a free version which contains extra levels not available in the full version of the game. The decision to withhold content from paying users in favor of giving it exclusively to those who didn’t runs completely against the grain, none-the-less it can be forgiven seeing as it’s free and anyone who purchased the full version can also download the free version. Still, this could be a bit troubling to some who want to add those twenty levels to their already staggering list of accomplishments from the full game.

Bottom Line:

Where’s My Water? has everything going for it. It’s incredibly unique, flawlessly designed, and as if there wasn’t enough content already, more is continuously being added. This game is definitely on the “must have” list for mobile games. If you’re hesitant, you can always check out the aforementioned free version first (links below), but soon you’ll realize that the $0.99 asking price for the full game is highway robbery. As an added bonus, you can also get a free $1 in Amazon MP3 credit if you buy the full version – as of April 28, 2012 – although there’s no word on how long that deal will last.

Google Play

Where’s My Water? Free

Where’s My Water? Full Game

Amazon App Store

Where’s My Water? Free

Where’s My Water? Full Game

iTunes

Where’s My Water? Free

Where’s My Water? Full Game

Where’s My Water? was developed by Creature Feep and published by Disney Mobile. It’s available for both Android and iOS devices for $0.99

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you

[04.12.12] Review: 'Tiny Tower'

Mobage

Tiny Tower for Android

Rating:

5 Stars

After taking the iPhone by storm, Tiny Tower finally made its way to Android courtesy of publisher and social gaming platform Mobage. It’s Sim Tower meets Farmville topped off with some beautiful pixelated graphics and inherently addictive gameplay. Your ultimate goal is to build a thriving community contained entirely within one skyscraper. Maintain your shops and take care of your ‘bitizens’; and you’ll be on your way to a successful tower. With a design so simple and obvious, you’ll be smacking yourself wondering why you didn’t come up with it first! But does addictive gameplay translate to quality game content?

The Fun Stuff:

Sim Tower may have been more of a cult hit, but there’s no denying the power simulation game had through the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Tiny Tower manages to pull the best parts of those simulations games with the exhilarating theme of Sim Tower. What could be more exciting than owning the next Trump Tower? The idea of building that next empire was something that everyone could relate to, and once it was available in game form, everyone latched to it. The developers of Tiny Tower recognized that and did an excellent job of tapping into that natural human desire and giving you the perfect opportunity to satisfy it.

They also recognized the spell that games such as Farmville has had over everyone. Micromanagement and real time strategy themes are interwoven with extensive waiting times that allow, or rather require, you check back frequently to maintain your items. What’s most satisfying about Tiny Tower is that there is no requirement to play. In games such as Farmville, if you don’t tend to your crops within a certain amount of time, the crops will wilt and your entire harvest will be lost. Sure, this may be true in real life, but what they seem to fail to realize is that Farmville isn’t real life, it’s a video game. Tiny Tower’s developers were kind enough to acknowledge that you may, in fact, have a life, and thus whatever task you perform will be patiently awaiting your arrival whether it be 6 hours or 6 weeks later.

This is incredibly satisfying as it allows you to play on your time, not theirs, and this makes any game infinitely more desirable. It allows you to play as little or as much as you want. Of course, there is incentive for playing an extended period of time, but if you only have a couple minutes to pop in, you can restock some items and maybe build a new floor, then head back to reality and let everything happen in the background. Should you choose to stick around, you have a few options. There is constantly people that need elevator rides, for which you will be tipped a generous amount of coins. You may also be occasionally graced by the presence of a V.I.P. who can instantly fill empty apartments, cut down on construction or stocking time, or increase sales to a floor either by directly purchasing all of an item or just attracting lots of bitizens to the floor. There’s also a “Where’s Waldo” type game that challenges to find a bitizen in your tower for various ridiculous, but goofy, reasons.

Although some of Tiny Tower’s charm comes from its pixelated graphics – a sort of throwback to gaming juggernauts of yesteryear – the majority of it comes from all the other intricate details woven into the fabric of the game. There are numerous costumes you can adorn your citizens with, various missions to complete, and plenty of in-game achievements to collect. There’s even a tiny little social network you can check called BitBook, which will give you an idea of your bitizens feelings in regards to things taking place in the tower. Should you choose, you have the power to rename all the apartments and stores to whatever you please. All in all, it gives you a true sense of community inside your tower and gives you the drive to make it as successful as possible.

The Frustrating Stuff:

The frustrations with Tiny Tower are rather… tiny. The most obnoxious quirk is also its greatest asset – the long time spent waiting for things to happen. It does give you the courtesy of setting many things to process and then leaving to take care of other things in real life, however as you get into the later levels of the game, the wait times are almost too much. Around just level 50, you’re looking at about a 24-hour wait for construction of a new floor. That’s an entire day of your life, should you choose not to speed it up with ‘Tower Bux’, one of the in-game currencies. When you have a strong desire to complete something in the game, this extensive wait time can be incredibly frustrating. Still, it’s necessary for the basic mechanics of the game.

There’s also no ability to play offline. At first, this detail may go overlooked, seeing as we’re in a world that’s constantly connected however there are some concerns with a set up like this. The first of which is that no technology is perfect, and occasionally signals are lost and networks go down. This completely bars access to the game, albeit probably not for an extended period of time. There’s also concern for those who are just trying to save precious battery life. Being constantly connected to the internet can put serious strain on your battery, regardless of whether it’s the cellular network or WiFi. Fortunately, Tiny Tower itself uses virtually no battery itself, especially in comparison to any other game on the market which eats your battery alive.

The only other thing that will have you steaming up your screen is the aforementioned search-and-find game with your bitizens. More often than not, the guy or gal you’re looking for has conveniently wandered out of sight on the screen. This is ok when you have just a few floors, as it challenges your memory; however, once you’ve built tons of floors, the expectation that you memorize every single bitizens’ location is entirely absurd. You’ll find yourself having to make multiple passes up and down the tower before they walk back. Alternately, you can just start clicking on each floor one by one until you make your way to them.

Bottom Line:

If you haven’t downloaded Tiny Tower yet, you should. It’s an absolute must-have for your phone, and the best part is it’s completely free! It’s a masterpiece and sits right up there as one of the best games to ever grace the portable platform. The addictive gameplay will constantly have you coming back for more, and seeing as you can’t really ‘win’ Tiny Tower, the sky is the limit!

Tiny Tower for Android

Tiny Towerfor iPhone

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[02.26.12] Review: 'Radiant HD'

Radiant HD for Android

Hexage, Ltd.

Rating:

5 Stars

Amazon blasts in with another free game, Radiant HD, as the free app of the day for Feb. 26, 2012. This game is all about nostalgia and retro mystique clearly drawing inspiration from the classic Galaga series. It mixes in some modern aspects and graphics that are a fantastic tribute to the games of yesteryear. If you’re a fan of retro gaming, this is a modern take on it at its absolute finest.

The Fun Stuff:

Despite running on far superior devices, the developer still chose to go with pixelated images to add to its nostalgic charm. They also give off a vibrant neon glow similar to the graphics in Geometry Wars. Even the ‘cut scenes’ are rendered in the same way they would be had the game been developed 20+ years ago. They’re very brief, often have cheesy and predictable dialog, and are forgo voice-acting altogether. All of it feels right at home and you probably won’t even miss them while you have your head wrapped in Radiant HD.

The gameplay is some of the best on the Android platform. Most games attempt to utilize both a joystick and fire button. Radiant HD ignores these all together by introducing auto-fire and requiring you only to control your ship. The joystick is also scrapped in favor of general touch zones. Touching the left side of the screen moves you left and touching the right side moves you right. It’s intuitive and comfortable, seeing as your thumbs are already resting in those areas while playing the game.

As a nice addition, Radiant HD allows you to upgrade your weapons either by earning credits or picking up power-ups while playing. It breathes new life into the game without being enough to actually ruin it.

The Frustrating Stuff:

The only thing that really seems out of place in Radiant HD is the fact that the game has been made somewhat easier. Not by the aforementioned power-ups, but rather by the fact that your ship doesn’t blow up when any of the enemy ships fly into you. Instead, they apparently fly above or below because your spaceship is completely intact after they pass. This might be because of the more compressed screen space on a phone. The arcade cabinets had much more height to them allowing plenty of time to shoot things or move out of their way. After a while, this feature will probably grow on you in the later levels.

The most disappointing aspect is the lack of a save feature. Everything has to be played in one sitting. This means that if you suddenly need to check an email or Google something, the second you hit that ‘home’ button on your phone, all data is lost. Hopefully, this feature will be added in at a later date, but until then this game is only worth playing if you have some time on your hands.

Bottom Line:

Radiant HD is a blast from the past which is extremely well done. Those who grow up playing any of the arcade classic vertical shooters will be thrilled with the new life this game breathes into an otherwise dead genre. By all means, get your hands on this today for free if you can. If you’ve missed the sale, it’s well worth forking over the $1.99 if you’re a fan of these types of games. It’s well designed and so much thought was put into each and every detail. You’ll become so immersed in its world, you’ll get confused trying to figure out where to put your quarters.

Radiant HD was created by Hexage Ltd and is Amazon’s free app of the day for 2/26/12. It typically sells for $1.99

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[02.18.12] Angry Birds are headed to space March 22

Rovio

Had enough of Angry Birds yet? Rovio doesn’t seem to think you have, because they’re sending Angry Birds to outer space on March 22. Whether this will be a standalone game or just another expansion for one of the other Angry Birds titles is unclear at this moment, however it seems likely that it will be its own unique title. Actually, very little is known about Angry Birds Space other than the release date, its name, and its logo. Rovio announced its launch via the Angry Birds website where they also posted a short teaser trailer and a wallpaper you can download for your computer.

Many questions arise over the new setting. Will this change the fundamental mechanics that made the series so popular? After all, there’s virtually no gravity in space and this game relies very heavily on the physics attributed to gravity. If everything is set in a zero-G environment, other laws of physics would have to be taken into account and the game would get a lot more complicated.

If they wanted to avoid the changes, it could be set inside the International Space Station or a fictional moon base. Then again, the game is a complete work of fiction seeing as it has green pigs stealing eggs from suicidal birds. They can do whatever they want, including taking their popular game exactly as it is and giving it a pretty space backdrop which we’ll all just have to accept as we fork up 99 cents and spend countless hours perfecting each level and saving every last egg all over again. That’s probably exactly how it will happen and in the end and its likely no one will even complain. It will still dominate the sales charts for weeks and it will still be played by millions because there’s no denying the magical spell those birds have had over us since day one.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[02.14.12] Review: 'Bag It!'

Hidden Variable Studios

Bag It! for Android

Rating:

5 Stars

Amazon bagged another game for the free app of the day for Feb. 14, 2012 with Bag It!. It’s a new-comer on the market and the first game out of Hidden Variable Studios, but don’t count it out quite yet. It’s climbing the charts quickly despite being only a few months old. The puzzle genre is oversaturated, but Bag It! Brings something fresh to the table with its unique gameplay and adorable graphics. This game challenges you with the mundane task of bagging groceries but does so with specific challenges in mind. It might sound like a complete bore however its instant success make it seem likely you’ll be in for a nice surprise. Take a little Tetris, throw in a little Toy Story, add a dash of the travel-game classic Rush Hour and you’ve got yourself Bag It!.

The Fun Stuff:

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a common saying and it makes a lot of sense, however there’s certainly nothing wrong with a little innovation from time to time. One of the greatest things about Bag It! is the original gameplay. It’s incredibly refreshing to play something so different and so well designed for a change. The app as a whole is very well refined and it’s likely you won’t run into a single problem while playing. Graphics are outstanding across the board whether you’re in the menus or playing the game.

Each food item is given a character with unique personalities and appearance. The background music creates a nice ambiance when blended with the sound effects and it’s the perfect environment for puzzle solving. If you ever find yourself getting frustrated with the puzzles and want to let off a little steam, you can unlock a different mode where your challenge is to crush as many items as possible. There’s also an endless bagging mode and a puzzle mode where many items are already bagged for you, however you have to move and rotate them to add in the last few while not allowing a single item to be crushed.

The Frustrating Stuff:

If we’re going to be nitpicky with Bag It!, there are two more neutral things to gripe about. It has OpenFeint integration – which some people use and love, however others who don’t will probably find it annoying. Likewise, it’s a game that requires you to play to unlock all of it. You can’t just jump straight to any level or any game you want. Again, some people prefer this method because it gives you a reason to play a game. Others will likely find this frustrating when they just wanted to jump in and get a quick fix on a random level.

Bottom Line:

Bag It! is, hands down, the best game to hit the market in quite some time. This is definitely a game that can appeal to anyone and everyone. Drop everything and take advantage of this free deal today, unless you’d rather wait to pay and support the developers – it’s much deserved for this masterpiece. If you missed out on the deal of the day or don’t own an Android device, it’s 100% worth paying for and downloading.

Bag It! was created by Hidden Variable Studios and is Amazon’s free app of the day for 2/14/12. It typically sells for $0.99. It’s also available for $0.99 on iTunes and from Barnes & Noble for the NookColor.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[06.30.11] Review: 'Doodle Fit'

Gamelion Studios

Doodle Fit for Android

Rating:

4 Stars

With the overwhelming success of Doodle Jump, many other games are hopping on the doodle wagon in an attempt to boost sales. Today’s free app, Doodle Fit is no different. A simple an unoriginal puzzle game challenging you to fit Tetris-like pieces perfectly into a specified area has been reskinned in either chalk or ink – your choice – in attempts to add some charm to the game. Featuring 100 levels of increasing difficulty, stat tracking, and the ability to simultaneously have up five separate profiles solving puzzles at their own pace on one device; Doodle Fit is a nice little package at a cheap price waiting to waste away the hours with you.

The Good:

Graphics are sharp and right on tune with what you would expect from a ‘doodle game. You can choose to stick to ink scribbled down on a notepad or flip to chalk scrawled across a chalkboard if that’s more your taste. Theirs nice music in the background to eliminate awkward silence, but it really adds nothing special to the game and could be potentially frustrating if you’re the type who prefers peace and quiet while trying to concentrate.

One of the most unique things about Doodle Fit is, surprisingly the controls. You wouldn’t really think there was a way to revolutionize ‘click and drag’ controls on a touchscreen device; however, this game throws a wrench into the system. Instead of the piece you’re manipulating sitting directly below your finger, everything is done roughly an inch above where you’re dragging your finger. This seems a bit strange at first; however, there are a few incredibly easy levels at the start of the game to help you familiarize yourself with the new setup. Once you get comfortable with it, you’ll realize it’s actually a massive convenience because now you can actually see where you’re placing pieces since your hand isn’t covering the playing field.

The Bad:

The number of themes is quite limited for a ‘doodle game’. Given, each one is developed by a separate company, however in most ‘doodle games’ you’ll find numerous themes to choose between just to spice things up. It also could have added a little more incentive to complete puzzles in Doodle Fit by having additional themes be rewards for completing a set number of puzzles. Instead, your only reward for knocking out a chunk of puzzles is… more puzzles.

The Ugly:

This kind of game can be found in many forms across the Amazon and Android markets, so paying for one seems kind of silly. Considering the only thing you can change about this type of game is the aesthetics, there really is no reason to pay extra for one version unless you desperately want the ‘doodle’ theme.

Bottom Line:

Doodle Fit is certainly an entertaining game, but it’s nothing groundbreaking. Considering there are plenty of free alternatives, it’s really only worth picking up today while it’s free or if you’re trying to keep a universal ‘doodle’ theme across your phone. If you’re really set on Doodle Fit and miss the deadline, consider picking up its ad supported version instead.

Doodle Fit was created by Gamelion Studios and is Amazon’s free app of the day for 6/30/11. It typically sells for $0.99